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Walled in by Hate: Kevin O'Higgins, His Friends and His Enemies
In July 1927, at just thirty-five years old, Kevin O’Higgins was assassinated on his way to Mass in Booterstown, Co. Dublin. A reviled figure for anti-Treaty republicans, O’Higgins became the target of particular venom for his vocal support of the Free State government’s execution policy during the Civil War, which saw seventy-seven IRA men executed, including the best man at his wedding, Rory O’Connor.
In Walled in By Hate, Arthur Mathews examines not just the life and death of O’Higgins, focussing on that most acrimonious time in his life, but also those of his contemporaries, such as O’Connor and Erskine Childers, who shaped the course of events around him. Unusually, he also delves deep into O’Higgins’s relationships with the women around him and chronicles the reactions of the men who killed him, subjects that, until now, have remained largely unexplored.
One of the most compelling characters to have emerged from the conflict, someone still the target of vitriol today, the tragic story of Kevin O’Higgins encapsulates the bitter divisions of a time in Irish history that continue to echo in today’s Ireland.
In Walled in By Hate, Arthur Mathews examines not just the life and death of O’Higgins, focussing on that most acrimonious time in his life, but also those of his contemporaries, such as O’Connor and Erskine Childers, who shaped the course of events around him. Unusually, he also delves deep into O’Higgins’s relationships with the women around him and chronicles the reactions of the men who killed him, subjects that, until now, have remained largely unexplored.
One of the most compelling characters to have emerged from the conflict, someone still the target of vitriol today, the tragic story of Kevin O’Higgins encapsulates the bitter divisions of a time in Irish history that continue to echo in today’s Ireland.
304 pages, Paperback
First published April 24, 2024
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September 12, 2024
Never did I expect one of the writers of Father Ted to come out with a book about Kevin O’Higgins, and I have not been disappointed. Matthews writes a good general biography of O’Higgins, alongside stories of his family, and of course his friends and enemies. He goes into great detail especially about O’Higgins’s relations with Rory O’Connor, De Valera, Lady Lavery, and his wife and children, as well as his subject’s attitudes and own personal feelings and development.
Seldom has any figure in Irish public life from this era suffered from such vitriolic hatred by some segments of the community, while most others barely remember him. Having said that, Matthews’s book brings him to life, putting his colourful private life at odds with his dour public image.
Matthew’s contempt for the anti-treaty position is quite clear in the text as he defends his subjects actions. The anti-democratic Liam Lynch, the commander of the anti-treaty IRA, has a relatively positive public image, with shrines and remembrance services dedicated to him, while a small plaque to commerate Kevin O’Higgins was destroyed soon after it was erected. Matthews views the execution policy as a decision that had to be made, but one that would undoubtably make O’Higgins a hate figure, thanks especially to his conservative and authoritative image, when compared to the (slightly) more geniel Cosgrave and Mulcahy. Matthews also records O’Higgins’s central role in building the state, the events surrounding his assassination, and the reactions to this by others, especially his family and the assassins themselves. Overall, a great read for anyone interested in O’Higgins or the immediate post-revolutionary period in Ireland.
Seldom has any figure in Irish public life from this era suffered from such vitriolic hatred by some segments of the community, while most others barely remember him. Having said that, Matthews’s book brings him to life, putting his colourful private life at odds with his dour public image.
Matthew’s contempt for the anti-treaty position is quite clear in the text as he defends his subjects actions. The anti-democratic Liam Lynch, the commander of the anti-treaty IRA, has a relatively positive public image, with shrines and remembrance services dedicated to him, while a small plaque to commerate Kevin O’Higgins was destroyed soon after it was erected. Matthews views the execution policy as a decision that had to be made, but one that would undoubtably make O’Higgins a hate figure, thanks especially to his conservative and authoritative image, when compared to the (slightly) more geniel Cosgrave and Mulcahy. Matthews also records O’Higgins’s central role in building the state, the events surrounding his assassination, and the reactions to this by others, especially his family and the assassins themselves. Overall, a great read for anyone interested in O’Higgins or the immediate post-revolutionary period in Ireland.
Displaying 1 of 1 review