Curious journey: an oral history of Ireland's unfinished revolution

by Kenneth Griffith

A journey through the recent history of Ireland, viewing events from the perspective of avowed repubicans. The authors have interviewed nine Irish veterans who have lived through the Gaelic renaissance, the Easter Rising, the guerilla war against the British, and the subsequent civil war.

Genres: History, Ireland, Nonfiction, Irish Literature

Paperback

First published December 31, 1982

Reviews

[J Lippe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highlights Ireland’s struggle with Britain from early 1900s to 1970s… The book covers the Irish revolutionary period, focusing on Easter Rising of 1916, the subsequent War of Independence, and the Civil War that followed the signing of the Anglo-Irish Treaty in 1921. And how these events impacted Ireland’s national identity and political landscape coming into the late 1900s peace talks.

Enjoyed how author sprinkled in first hand interviews with major Irish players throughout story to bring it to life. Gen Tom Barry was a boss!

Learnings:
1. Complex Struggle for Independence: The fight for Irish independence was multifaceted, involving various groups with differing goals and methods, from the Easter Rising to the War of Independence.
2. Diverse Perspectives: The revolution was shaped by a range of figures, including radical nationalists, moderates, and those who later opposed the Anglo-Irish Treaty, highlighting the internal divisions within the movement.
3. Impact of the Anglo-Irish Treaty: The signing of the treaty in 1921 was a turning point, leading to the partition of Ireland and a bitter civil war that revealed deep-seated disagreements over the future of Ireland.
4. Enduring Legacy: The events of this period have had a lasting impact on Irish politics and identity, shaping the narrative of Ireland’s struggle for self-determination.
5. Relevance to Modern Ireland: The book encourages reflection on Ireland’s current political and social landscape, considering how the unresolved issues from the revolutionary period still resonate today.

ONE THING: no peace w/o British occupation removed. A healthy nation thinks nothing of its nationality until its lost, then that’s all it thinks of.

[Mike Clinton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I stumbled upon this book in my favorite used bookstore in Philly--A House of Our Own, near the Penn campus--and am surprised that it's not more well-known than it apparently is (or was to me, at least.) It weaves together an overview of the forces and events that produced and followed the 1916 Easter Rising through the end of the Irish Civil War, the personal experiences of nine people (including two women, a group often overlooked in accounts by the time this one was published in 1982), and a charged political statement supporting the "unfinished revolution" to reunify the six counties of Northern Ireland with the counties of the Republic. The book came out of a TV documentary that Kenneth Griffith produced, the backstory to which is itself an interesting look into British sensitivities about the Irish question during the 1970s; the interviewees featured in the documentary had far more to say than could be contained within the documentary itself, so this volume was conceived in collaboration with American author Timothy O'Grady to make those memories available. The result feels very much like a gathering of old vets of Ireland's 1916-24 revolution relating their stories in an intimate setting rich in language, humor, and anecdotes, with Griffith the sympathetic moderator providing the wider context. It's only part of the story, of course, with very little representing the perspectives of the British, Unionists, or even simply those Irish not nearly as politically engaged as those featured here. That doesn't detract from the book at all but rather makes it one valuable piece of a much larger complex puzzle that can be put together in any number of ways.

[iosephvs bibliothecarivs · Rating 5 out of 5]

One day as I was strolling through the used history book section of our local entertainment store, I came across Ireland's Unfinished Revolution: An Oral History (previously titled 'Curious Journey: An Oral History of Ireland's Unfinished Revolution'). It stood out because there are not many Irish history books to be found in my town. I took a look at it and was interested. It contained the first-hand experiences of several prominent participants in Ireland's Anglo-Irish War of 1916-1921 and Civil War of 1922-1923. I went home and considered it for a few days.

By the time I returned, I had discovered that one of the authors, Kenneth Griffith, was the same man who had made the Michael Collins documentary Hang Up Your Brightest Colours which I saw a little over a year ago. I didn't really like Hang Up... but it was good to see once. When I flipped through the pages of this book again, I found that there were reminiscences of people who interacted with Collins. I was especially interested in the interviews with David Neligan, one of Collins' spies in the Castle. Now I knew I had to have it. I purchased it and began reading it right away even though I was already in two other books at the time.

If you recognize and accept the authors' bias (they believe very strongly that the British should never have been in Ireland), then you can enjoy this book for what it is: first person narratives interlaced with historical information. It's a fantastic way to write history and makes for very compelling reading. This is the best book I have read on this period of Irish history.

The oral history segments are extremely fascinating and the book is worth the price just for these. The participants (now old at the time of interview in the late 1970s) relate where they were when the Irish Republic was declared during Easter week, 1916, what they thought of the surprising 1918 election and the formation of the First Dáil, how they helped as the guerrilla war with Britain broke out, interesting insights into Collins and De Valera, and why they chose the side they did during the Civil War. Several times when reading these narratives, I was deeply moved by the speakers' honest accounts of the troubles, trials, politics and of the blood and violence of daily life during this period.

Perhaps the most devastating of these accounts was Sean Harling's story of how he decided on which side to fight at the outbreak of the Civil War:

'On the morning the shelling of the Four Courts started, me father woke me up around six o'clock and he said, "Sean, there's heavy firing in town. Listen to it." So I got up and I heard the big gun going off. I dressed meself; I put on me breeches and the leggings of me uniform and me Sam Browne belt, and I put a civilian coat on over it and went out.

'Now when a civil war breaks out, it's brother against brother, and there's no saying what way you'd go. It all depended on which crowd you got into. That was the feeling of most of the lads. They were just depressed that there was any split at all, you see. So anyway, when I went out that morning I was in the middle of the Phibsborough Road, and I went up the road instead of down. Had I gone down the road the first group I would have met would have been the Free State side, and I probably would have fought with them. Going up the road I would be going towards O'Connell Street, to the Republicans, and I would fight with them. But my mind wasn't made up as to what I would do until I found meself in the Republican group. So I took part in the Civil War as a Republican' (page 285).

When belligerents are decided by who you happen to meet in the street, you know there's an awful civil war coming, and it was indeed devastating. To read these memories takes you closer to the events than you could ever be otherwise.

I highly recommend this book. It is one-of-a-kind and now holds a treasured place on my bookshelf.

[Emma McDonnell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is unlike other history books in that it was originally meant to be a documentary for British television. In 1976 the author interviewed 9 Irish particpants in the Easter Rising, the Anglo-Irish War and/or the Civil War. Some of them are well known to any Irish history buff (Tom Barry), some you may never have heard of. I can only say it was an honour to read the words of these 9 amazing men and women.

[Keith Mckenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very good book seen through the eyes of different protagonists involved in the easter rising. outstanding foreward by Kenneth Griffiths

[Jessica Raab · Rating 4 out of 5]

Captivating look at Irish history from multiple first-person perspectives. A bit confusing at times, but that's likely due to the fact that these interviews were done with the idea that they'd be turned into a documentary, not a book.

[Nia]

Interviews of nine former IRA members about their experiences from 1919-1922, primarily. Michael Collins, Lloyd George, De Valera. Republicans vs. Free State: the real tragedy of Irish history was the unnecessary civil war. British imperialism, divide and rule. Definite sympathetic bias for republicans.