This issue analyses the merits and achievements of the Good Friday Agreement, as well as the problems which have arisen since its signing. Some of the authors in this second issue of RISE explore the insufficiencies  of  the  consociational nature  of  the  settlement, the (effective) depoliticisatisation of the state’s role, and the imposition of a singular, inflexible ‘roadmap’ towards peace; they reveal and critique contradictions and silences in key areas of governmental  policy. At the same time, the role and treatment of victims and survivors  in post-conflict Northern Ireland is analysed, as well as the roles given to and taken by museums in addressing the legacy of conflict and contributing to reconciliation in Northern Irish society. Many of the authors look closely at cultural responses to the Agreement, particularly those which unearth lacunae in its underlying  assumptions  and  projected  policies. The  areas covered in these essays—politics;  history;  gender  studies;  museum  culture;  literary  and visual  culture;  policy  making —are  as  diverse  as  the  opinions  and  stances  towards  the Agreement’s aims and efficacy, but they are united in offering reflections on how better to promote peace and stability in Northern Ireland.