diff --git a/Cargo.lock b/Cargo.lock
index 8da37ce5..d3331e94 100644
--- a/Cargo.lock
+++ b/Cargo.lock
@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@ dependencies = [
  "array-init 0.0.3 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)",
  "bootloader 0.3.12 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)",
  "lazy_static 1.2.0 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)",
+ "pic8259_simple 0.1.1 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)",
  "spin 0.4.10 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)",
  "uart_16550 0.1.0 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)",
  "volatile 0.2.6 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)",
@@ -49,6 +50,11 @@ dependencies = [
  "xmas-elf 0.6.2 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "cpuio"
+version = "0.2.0"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+
 [[package]]
 name = "fixedvec"
 version = "0.2.3"
@@ -107,6 +113,14 @@ name = "os_bootinfo"
 version = "0.2.1"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 
+[[package]]
+name = "pic8259_simple"
+version = "0.1.1"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+dependencies = [
+ "cpuio 0.2.0 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "pulldown-cmark"
 version = "0.0.3"
@@ -271,6 +285,7 @@ source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 "checksum bit_field 0.9.0 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)" = "ed8765909f9009617974ab6b7d332625b320b33c326b1e9321382ef1999b5d56"
 "checksum bitflags 1.0.4 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)" = "228047a76f468627ca71776ecdebd732a3423081fcf5125585bcd7c49886ce12"
 "checksum bootloader 0.3.12 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)" = "2b498d7168288f3667f80aee93b4894e355dfce867803e1ccd5d9ee42a0b0e1a"
+"checksum cpuio 0.2.0 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)" = "22b8e308ccfc5acf3b82f79c0eac444cf6114cb2ac67a230ca6c177210068daa"
 "checksum fixedvec 0.2.3 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)" = "7c6c16d316ccdac21a4dd648e314e76facbbaf316e83ca137d0857a9c07419d0"
 "checksum font8x8 0.2.4 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)" = "b81d84c3c978af7d05d31a2198af4b9ba956d819d15d8f6d58fc150e33f8dc1f"
 "checksum fuchsia-zircon 0.3.3 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)" = "2e9763c69ebaae630ba35f74888db465e49e259ba1bc0eda7d06f4a067615d82"
@@ -280,6 +295,7 @@ source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 "checksum libc 0.2.48 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)" = "e962c7641008ac010fa60a7dfdc1712449f29c44ef2d4702394aea943ee75047"
 "checksum nodrop 0.1.13 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)" = "2f9667ddcc6cc8a43afc9b7917599d7216aa09c463919ea32c59ed6cac8bc945"
 "checksum os_bootinfo 0.2.1 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)" = "66481dbeb5e773e7bd85b63cd6042c30786f834338288c5ec4f3742673db360a"
+"checksum pic8259_simple 0.1.1 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)" = "dc64b2fd10828da8521b6cdabe0679385d7d2a3a6d4c336b819d1fa31ba35c72"
 "checksum pulldown-cmark 0.0.3 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)" = "8361e81576d2e02643b04950e487ec172b687180da65c731c03cf336784e6c07"
 "checksum rand 0.4.5 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)" = "dee497e66d8d76bf08ce20c8d36e16f93749ab0bf89975b4f8ae5cee660c2da2"
 "checksum rand_core 0.3.1 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)" = "7a6fdeb83b075e8266dcc8762c22776f6877a63111121f5f8c7411e5be7eed4b"
diff --git a/Cargo.toml b/Cargo.toml
index 8a7d773b..eafa595e 100644
--- a/Cargo.toml
+++ b/Cargo.toml
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ spin = "0.4.9"
 array-init = "0.0.3"
 uart_16550 = "0.1.0"
 x86_64 = "0.3.5"
+pic8259_simple = "0.1.1"
 
 [dependencies.lazy_static]
 version = "1.0"
diff --git a/src/interrupts.rs b/src/interrupts.rs
index 08a2a516..e0d2d688 100644
--- a/src/interrupts.rs
+++ b/src/interrupts.rs
@@ -6,6 +6,14 @@
 use crate::{gdt, println};
 use lazy_static::lazy_static;
 use x86_64::structures::idt::{ExceptionStackFrame, InterruptDescriptorTable};
+use pic8259_simple::ChainedPics;
+use spin;
+
+pub const PIC_1_OFFSET: u8 = 32;
+pub const PIC_2_OFFSET: u8 = PIC_1_OFFSET + 8;
+
+pub static PICS: spin::Mutex<ChainedPics> =
+    spin::Mutex::new(unsafe { ChainedPics::new(PIC_1_OFFSET, PIC_2_OFFSET) });
 
 lazy_static! {
     static ref IDT: InterruptDescriptorTable = {
diff --git a/src/main.rs b/src/main.rs
index aabf5128..2fd3af7c 100644
--- a/src/main.rs
+++ b/src/main.rs
@@ -8,22 +8,19 @@ use core::panic::PanicInfo;
 #[cfg(not(test))]
 #[no_mangle]
 pub extern "C" fn _start() -> ! {
+    use blog_os::interrupts::PICS;
+
     println!("Hello World{}", "!");
 
     blog_os::gdt::init();
     blog_os::interrupts::init_idt();
-
-    fn stack_overflow() {
-        stack_overflow(); // for each recursion, the return address is pushed
-    }
-
-    // trigger a stack overflow
-    stack_overflow();
+    unsafe { PICS.lock().initialize() };
 
     println!("It did not crash!");
     loop {}
 }
 
+
 /// This function is called on panic.
 #[cfg(not(test))]
 #[panic_handler]