The Trigger Men: Assassins and Terror Bosses in the Ireland Conflict by Dillon, Martin New Edition

by Martin Dillon

Brand New. Will be shipped from US.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Ireland

Paperback

First published October 23, 2003

About the author

Martin Dillon has won international acclaim for his unique, investigative works on the Ireland conflict. Dr. Conor Cruise O’Brien, the renowned historian and scholar, described him as “our Virgil to that inferno.” The Irish Times hailed him as one of the most creative writers of our time and the Guardian compared him to John Le Carrie and Len Deighton. Martin Dillon’s trilogy, The Shankill Butchers, The Dirty War & God and the Gun, sold over a quarter of a million copies in the British Isles. His twelve non-fiction works are considered definitive accounts of the conflict. He began his distinguished career as a newspaper reporter and later became a programme editor with the BBC and a writer/producer with its award winning Timewatch. Throughout his BBC career he campaigned against its flawed interpretations of what constituted balance. He has been a terrorism expert for news outlets in Europe and North America. His play The Squad was one of the first about The Troubles and was produced on BBC radio and television by the late Ronald Mason, the esteemed Head of BBC Radio Three Drama. Dillon’s books include The Enemy Within, an account of the IRA’s terror campaigns in Britain, starting at the outbreak of World War II. Stone Cold was a portrait of a natural born killer and in The Trigger Men he delved into the lives of the most notorious assassins. Dillon exposed the IRA’s secret burials, the use of State-sponsored assassins and the phenomenon of sadistic torture by paramilitaries. He helped prepare the way for peace in Ireland by bringing together Nobel Prize winner, John Hume, and Gerry Adams, the IRA’s political leader. His help and advice were sought by the Margaret Thatcher and John Major governments. As a journalist and writer his life has been intertwined with the history of the Irish Troubles and its darkest days. He is often described as one of the most important voices of the conflict.
His latest book is his the memoir, Crossing the Line- My Life on the Edge.
According to Irish Times, the memoir “details a life that’s involved many incredible moments: witnessing the horrors of the Troubles; encounters with major political figures and paramilitaries; rubbing shoulders with Irish literary greats; a successful broadcasting career, but one where he butted heads with BBC management; and having to leave Northern Ireland because of death threats.
Henry McDonald; author, journalist and Ireland correspondent for The Guardian says the memoir is replete with such colourful stories involving the politicians, terrorists, artists and writers he met while covering the conflict in Northern Ireland”.
Readers of this book, and of Dillon’s other works, will agree that “He has that unique knack of combining forensic historical fact-based research with the art of thriller-like writing. His books have accurately chartered the terror and the horror of recent Northern Irish history but always in a tone of compassion for the innocent victims caught up in conflict. Works like his 'The Shankill Butchers' and 'The Dirty War' stand the test of time and will be essential reading for generations to come for those trying to make sense out of the madness that was 'The Troubles'.
Author and journalist, Hugh Jordan, had this to say about Martin Dillon in 2017:
Martin Dillon is a renowned world expert on terrorism. He has written and spoken extensively on this modern day phenomenon, which continues to hit the headlines on a daily basis.

As a journalist, he came well-equipped to cope with the subject. Born in Belfast – the citadel of Ulster unionism at the heart of the divided society that is Northern Ireland - Martin Dillon understood from an early age, the causes of political conflict which if left unaddressed manifests itself in violence.

And as young reporter he stood out among his peers, because he quickly identified the line where politics ended and terrorism began.

Martin’s professional life began on a leading Irish newspaper in 1968.

Reviews

[Mr Michael R Stevens · Rating 3 out of 5]

Described by the Irish Times as "one of the most creative writers of our time" this book by Dillon, slanted against so called 'Loyalist' figures, gives the impression that both Republican and Loyalist terror groups killed, maimed, tortured and bombed each other at the behest, and in collusion with, the Crown Forces.
During the book Dillon often takes the moral high ground, coming across as a crusading investigative journalist but sadly this book, unlike his other works, offers nothing new about this period of Northern Irish history.

[Meg Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dillon gives a detailed insight to the lives and minds of trigger men and influential figures during the troubles. As the first book I have read about this part of history, I found it massively thought provoking and has pushed me to further educate myself on the North itself. Great book!

[Helene Atterbury · Rating 5 out of 5]

Factual and Educational

Excellent work by Martin along with all his books. I would recommend this to any soldier who has served a tour in N. Ireland.

[Bobby24 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anyone living in NI around these times must sweat when reading this because anyone was a target for the likes of the Romper room or some psychopath that thought god was on his side..

[Aaron McCormick · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great tough read, dense with information.

[Andrew · Rating 2 out of 5]

As a journalistic narrative this book serves its purpose well;to report in a detailed manner the tales of gunmen who played a significant role in The Troubles. This extends to those who were involved in clandestine operations on behalf of the Crown, fighting in what is known as The Dirty War.

However, the book lacked in the human aspect. It was certainly harrowing to read of the exploits of The Shankhill Butchers, a loyalist gang who operated under the umbrella of the UVF and tortured and mutilated their victims, or the existence of Romper Rooms - clubs in which those who lynched Catholics or Protestans could mercilessly torture their victims for the entertainment of the clientele. But without any human aspect, these tales lacked impact and merely served the same purpose as a newspaper article, i.e. to relate the events and necessary background to the reader.

For this reason the book dragged terribly. The most interesting part for me was that relating to clandestine operations by the British, involving the MRF as well as the dealings they had with Brian Nelson.

This was an OK book but I wouldn't rush out to buy it.

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an informative and terrifying account of the Trigger Men that terrorised Northern Ireland during the Troubles. The only issue with this book is that there is an obvious bias towards the Loyalist side of terrorism with a majority of the chapters focusing on these gunmen rather than it being an equal spread of Loyalist and Republican gunmen. Whether this is due to Dillon having some kind of an agenda (which I doubt having read some of his other work) or whether it is the result of accessibility to information and accounts of the gunmen's activity (which is probably more likely) I do not know. However the book doesn't condone or support either side simply descibes how these men were used by their respective organisations and how they terrorised the streets for years before being killed or arrested. This book shows the dark, dark side of terrorism in Northern Ireland and will chill the reader to the bone with the attitude and lack of remorse portrayed by the gunmen themselves

[Philippe Duhart · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is perhaps the most chilling book I have read concerning the Northern Ireland conflict. The focus is primarily on Protestant violence. Dillon's prose, however, leaves much to be desired. Recommended for those interested in the role of thugs and criminals in political conflicts.

[David O'Neill · Rating 4 out of 5]

A revealing look at a hidden aspect of Irish history. I used this a source for my Daniel series novels.

[NewFrontier · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just scratching the surface in terms of what really went down, but it should be enough to whet one's appetite for further digging into these topics.

[Pinko Palest · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very intriguing book, which makes the case for collusion between loyalist paramilitaries and UK government Agencies. At times though it is just a bit too journalistic, ie moralistic