What do you think?
Rate this book
The Disappeared: Forced Disappearances in Ireland 1798 - 1998
The spectre of ‘the Disappeared’, those abducted, secretly executed and their bodies buried in remote locations, has overshadowed the debate around the legacy of the Troubles in Northern Ireland for the last two decades. Yet what most people don’t realise is that ‘forced disappearances’ have been part of violent political conflicts in Ireland for over 200 years.
This groundbreaking book, the first of its kind, looks at the history of this practice in Ireland and identifies all known victims over the last century, from the North King Street Massacre in 1916 right up to 2003. Ó Ruairc cuts through the exaggeration and myth that pervade the popular history of the ‘Good Old IRA’ to prove that this organisation was particularly ruthless in using this course of action during the War of Independence and Civil War, much more so than their successors in the Provisional IRA or the British forces in Ireland. The author also reveals how his research has helped locate several bodies of those long missing, one of which has already been recovered and given a proper burial.
Behind each disappearance there is the story of a life cut short and a family left searching for answers. Ó Ruairc deftly incorporates this human element, preserving the memory of those who were disappeared on both sides of the conflict.
This groundbreaking book, the first of its kind, looks at the history of this practice in Ireland and identifies all known victims over the last century, from the North King Street Massacre in 1916 right up to 2003. Ó Ruairc cuts through the exaggeration and myth that pervade the popular history of the ‘Good Old IRA’ to prove that this organisation was particularly ruthless in using this course of action during the War of Independence and Civil War, much more so than their successors in the Provisional IRA or the British forces in Ireland. The author also reveals how his research has helped locate several bodies of those long missing, one of which has already been recovered and given a proper burial.
Behind each disappearance there is the story of a life cut short and a family left searching for answers. Ó Ruairc deftly incorporates this human element, preserving the memory of those who were disappeared on both sides of the conflict.
400 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2024
19 people are currently reading
190 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
January 23, 2025
Does a good job placing disappearances such as that of Jean McConville (currently much talked about due to the TV series Say Nothing) in the wider historical context of forced disappearances and subterfuge (largely although not exclusively of selected informers) in Irish history. It reads like a list of obituaries in a few places, particularly as it comes to more recent cases, but nevertheless provides an important reminder that little of the worst of the Troubles was new in Irish history and politics.
May 5, 2025
Another quality book on IRA related history.
You'd think you would be tired of reading tale after tale of Irish republican/ free staters/ Brits etc being caught, killed and buried but the author has done a fine job researching. There's a lot more info than you would expect on killings that by there nature were highly secret and many times random and disorganised.
You'd think you would be tired of reading tale after tale of Irish republican/ free staters/ Brits etc being caught, killed and buried but the author has done a fine job researching. There's a lot more info than you would expect on killings that by there nature were highly secret and many times random and disorganised.
Read
March 4, 2024While it does read like a stack of obituaries. I feel Ruairc did a good job at giving due honors to the people who have been lost.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews