Ireland's Revolutionary Era (Hardback)

This book sets out to record the course of Ireland’s Revolutionary Era, using as its basis the recollections of many individuals who took active roles in the Easter Rising and the War of Independence. Though the Easter Rising of 1916 was a military failure its impact on the Irish population was profound. The military defeat by the British only served to galvanise the republican fraternity across Ireland and made it even more determined to ensure any future rebellion would be a success.

In that intervening period both the political and militant strands of Irish republicanism worked hand in hand to create a new scenario which would allow for a further confrontation with the British. On the political front, the Sinn Fein party under the leadership of Eamon de Valera worked tirelessly to recruit new members and began to contest and win bye-elections. On the other hand, the militant section of republicanism saw the impressive emergence of armed units, even in the smallest and remotest communities. Drills and parades became a common occurrence as young men signed up to ready themselves for a new conflict with the British. The war began with the first shots being fired at Soloheadbeg on 21 Jan 1919 and ended with a Truce agreed by Eamon de Valera and Lloyd George on 6 July 1921. The fighting extended across the country and very few areas escaped the turmoil associated with it.

As the rest of the world looked on with a sense of incredulity, a small but a very determined force of fighting men willingly took on one of the mightiest military forces of that time. The fact that the IRA scored notable successes in the field over the course of the War of Independence confounded many observers and analysts and served to spur the gallant Irishmen in their struggle against the British.