I'm watching The Crown and I realize I don't understand anything about the history between the UK and the IRA. I understand the history is complicated and long, but please help an ignorant American understand the history behind this feud.
More can always be said on the matter, if anyone else is willing to take on a topic as fraught and as near to living memory as Northern Ireland.
For the meantime, OP, you may be interested in u/thefeckamIdoing's six-post treatment on the Troubles, which is, "for all of its length, a short summery that leaves out infinite detail."