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Burn Them Out!: A History of Fascism and the Far Right in Ireland
In November 2023, the Dublin riots shocked Ireland and the wider world. They were sparked by a knife attack by an immigrant on three children. Inflammatory online rumours spread in minutes. Part of the north inner city were wrecked, cars and buses torched, and protestors wreaked havoc on the streets for hours.
Until very recently, Ireland had prided itself on having escaped the wave of far-right, xenophobic populism now rampant throughout Europe. That complacency has been rudely challenged.
In Burn Them Out!, Pádraig Óg Ó Ruairc explores the long history that has led to this pivotal moment. He uncovers the pervasive anti-Semitism of the Irish political elite in the 1920s and 30s, the energetic efforts of Mosley and other British fascists to extend their movement to the North of Ireland, the IRA's alliance with Nazi Germany in the 40s and the many ultra-Catholic, anti-communist Irish movements that were millimetres away from fascism. He tells the story of exotic entities like the Fascio di Dublino, the Dublin branch of Mussolini's Fascist Party, and the Irish wing of Miss Rotha Lintorn-Orman's 'British Fascisti'.
The openly-fascist Irish movement known as the Blueshirts, an offshoot and ally of the early Fine Gael, is looked at with fresh eyes, and its supporters' statements about Jews now make for hair-raising reading. Many of its proponents went on to become pillars of the Irish political and cultural establishment. And the Catholic and nationalist Ailtirí na hAiséirghe (Architects of the Resurrection), a post-war sect, was in many ways a precursor of today's Irish far right.
This is an essential book about an aspect of Irish history all too often swept under the carpet.
Until very recently, Ireland had prided itself on having escaped the wave of far-right, xenophobic populism now rampant throughout Europe. That complacency has been rudely challenged.
In Burn Them Out!, Pádraig Óg Ó Ruairc explores the long history that has led to this pivotal moment. He uncovers the pervasive anti-Semitism of the Irish political elite in the 1920s and 30s, the energetic efforts of Mosley and other British fascists to extend their movement to the North of Ireland, the IRA's alliance with Nazi Germany in the 40s and the many ultra-Catholic, anti-communist Irish movements that were millimetres away from fascism. He tells the story of exotic entities like the Fascio di Dublino, the Dublin branch of Mussolini's Fascist Party, and the Irish wing of Miss Rotha Lintorn-Orman's 'British Fascisti'.
The openly-fascist Irish movement known as the Blueshirts, an offshoot and ally of the early Fine Gael, is looked at with fresh eyes, and its supporters' statements about Jews now make for hair-raising reading. Many of its proponents went on to become pillars of the Irish political and cultural establishment. And the Catholic and nationalist Ailtirí na hAiséirghe (Architects of the Resurrection), a post-war sect, was in many ways a precursor of today's Irish far right.
This is an essential book about an aspect of Irish history all too often swept under the carpet.
335 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 10, 2025
22 people are currently reading
330 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
June 7, 2025
I am once again reminding you that Fine Gael was founded by a crowd who thought the straight arm Nazi salute was an ancient Gaelic greeting and used to shout "Hail O'Duffy".
July 1, 2025
This was informative but also like reading a very long article. If you’re going to write chapters that are 70+ pages then they need to be broken up a bit. A lot of what happened but little analysis as to why.
July 2, 2025
A truly essential and timely read in a time where far-right ideologies are unfortunately resurfacing.
September 14, 2025
What a disappointing book!
I'm a committed antifascist and Irish republican and have been concerned with the rise of extreme-right ideology for some years. I was discussing the rise of fascism in Ireland at a radical bookstore and was reccomended this book, which has just been published. Despite the importance of the subject matter, this book fails to rise to the challenges of the day.
In terms of content there is no effort made to grapple meaningfully with what "fascism" is, with only a precursory definition of the phenomenon in the first few pages. There is some engagement throughout the book with the origins of fascist thought, but the connections between imerialism, whiteness, etc. is not properly explored at all, let alone within the specificities of the Irish context. This book reads roughly chronologically and, instead of engaging deeply with the worldviews of Irish fascist thinkers and their connections with the global forces of fascism and imperialism, it reads instead as a list of events happening. This is bad history, and the book launches straight into telling a story without an introduction or a conclusion, and never once attempts a cross-cutting, thematic analysis.
There was no engagment with the social conditions that gave rise to fascism beyond the anecdotal. What of the role of the catholic church in stoking up anti-communist and anti-republican sentiment in Ireland? How did the oppressive Catholicism of society in the Free State post-partition create a fertile ground for reactionary thought? How was reactionary thought influenced by such a society manifest in the Irish context? Why the focus on personally attacking individual fascists rather than their movements? The treatment of the origins of Fine Gael, which basically only follows the story of Eoin O'Duffy rather than attempting a more nuanced analysis of the movement as a whole (and how that influences the worldview of the contemporary party), is a prime example lf this weaknes.
The book is also very sloppily edited. There are typos, misprints, contradictions and repetitions throughout. I also found that some page references in the index were incorrect.
We desparately need more research into this subject but this book is not it unfortunately, and it seems to fall into the same pitfalls that unfortunately we antifascists fall into all to often: thinking that fascism can be boiled down to a few "bad people" rather than the reaction of an enitre stystem of opression that must be overcome.
Save your money and read some Connolly instead.
I'm a committed antifascist and Irish republican and have been concerned with the rise of extreme-right ideology for some years. I was discussing the rise of fascism in Ireland at a radical bookstore and was reccomended this book, which has just been published. Despite the importance of the subject matter, this book fails to rise to the challenges of the day.
In terms of content there is no effort made to grapple meaningfully with what "fascism" is, with only a precursory definition of the phenomenon in the first few pages. There is some engagement throughout the book with the origins of fascist thought, but the connections between imerialism, whiteness, etc. is not properly explored at all, let alone within the specificities of the Irish context. This book reads roughly chronologically and, instead of engaging deeply with the worldviews of Irish fascist thinkers and their connections with the global forces of fascism and imperialism, it reads instead as a list of events happening. This is bad history, and the book launches straight into telling a story without an introduction or a conclusion, and never once attempts a cross-cutting, thematic analysis.
There was no engagment with the social conditions that gave rise to fascism beyond the anecdotal. What of the role of the catholic church in stoking up anti-communist and anti-republican sentiment in Ireland? How did the oppressive Catholicism of society in the Free State post-partition create a fertile ground for reactionary thought? How was reactionary thought influenced by such a society manifest in the Irish context? Why the focus on personally attacking individual fascists rather than their movements? The treatment of the origins of Fine Gael, which basically only follows the story of Eoin O'Duffy rather than attempting a more nuanced analysis of the movement as a whole (and how that influences the worldview of the contemporary party), is a prime example lf this weaknes.
The book is also very sloppily edited. There are typos, misprints, contradictions and repetitions throughout. I also found that some page references in the index were incorrect.
We desparately need more research into this subject but this book is not it unfortunately, and it seems to fall into the same pitfalls that unfortunately we antifascists fall into all to often: thinking that fascism can be boiled down to a few "bad people" rather than the reaction of an enitre stystem of opression that must be overcome.
Save your money and read some Connolly instead.
June 29, 2025
This book offers a chronological history of fascism and far right politics in Ireland both North and South, starting in the early 1920s and concluding 100 years later in 2024.
Whilst a book like this is more relevant than ever given the rise in anti immigrant riots, violence and hatred both in Ireland and across the globe (I write this review after having read the book following racist pogroms in Ballymena in the North of Ireland in the year 2025, again showing how depressingly relevant and vital the subject matter of this book is), it is not written in a way that makes for a particularly interesting, compelling or analytical read.
Instead the other just lists off a chronological list without much analysis as to why these ideologies have maintained a potency in a country that used to pride itself on its compassion towards the vulnerable and persecuted across the world.
In a sense, this writing style is reflective of Irish attitudes towards so many things, don’t ask questions, don’t delve too deeply, don’t cause any trouble.
There are some slightly interesting parts, particularly the section on the blue shirts/Fine Gael, a chapter which shocks a modern reader by exposing just quite how extreme and far right the early Fine Gael party was(presently a party in government for the last 14 years at the time of writing).
There are also some moments which could have been interesting if the author had delved a little deeper, namely, why are Irish institutions such as the media and the Gardai generally so utterly useless if not complicit in assisting these degenerate, repulsive, reactionary forces that are a cancer on our country? The author does not explore this beyond one or two sentences at various moments scattered through the book.
Overall the book is competent but not very compelling written, minus one or two touches of personality, it reads like a Wikipedia page of “Fascism and the far right in Ireland”. Informative but not very interesting or memorable.
Whilst a book like this is more relevant than ever given the rise in anti immigrant riots, violence and hatred both in Ireland and across the globe (I write this review after having read the book following racist pogroms in Ballymena in the North of Ireland in the year 2025, again showing how depressingly relevant and vital the subject matter of this book is), it is not written in a way that makes for a particularly interesting, compelling or analytical read.
Instead the other just lists off a chronological list without much analysis as to why these ideologies have maintained a potency in a country that used to pride itself on its compassion towards the vulnerable and persecuted across the world.
In a sense, this writing style is reflective of Irish attitudes towards so many things, don’t ask questions, don’t delve too deeply, don’t cause any trouble.
There are some slightly interesting parts, particularly the section on the blue shirts/Fine Gael, a chapter which shocks a modern reader by exposing just quite how extreme and far right the early Fine Gael party was(presently a party in government for the last 14 years at the time of writing).
There are also some moments which could have been interesting if the author had delved a little deeper, namely, why are Irish institutions such as the media and the Gardai generally so utterly useless if not complicit in assisting these degenerate, repulsive, reactionary forces that are a cancer on our country? The author does not explore this beyond one or two sentences at various moments scattered through the book.
Overall the book is competent but not very compelling written, minus one or two touches of personality, it reads like a Wikipedia page of “Fascism and the far right in Ireland”. Informative but not very interesting or memorable.
August 19, 2025
never finished this book and getting sick of seeing it in my currently reading lol. for me interesting giving the political climate, but extremely dry
July 21, 2025
Well-researched and readable but ultimately underwhelming history of fascism and far right politics in Ireland - what's missing is a sufficient analysis of just what Irish far-right politics have been or their intellectual evolution, particularly when the book arrives at more recent decades. The entirety of 1946-2024 is taken up in 70 pages despite Ireland being the one country in Europe where fascist parties actually improved their electoral performance after the war, with Ailtirí na hÁiséirighe actually gaining eight seats in the local election in 1946 - this is still the most seats ever held by a far right group in the 26 counties.
Too much of this book is taken up with a survey of efforts by European or British fascists to organise in Ireland and their supporters here, and a retelling of the overfamiliar story of Eoin O'Duffy's ill-advised efforts to become an Il Duce figure. There has been an explicitly racist and ethnically focused dimension to Irish nationalist politics for long enough for it to have been satirised in the "Cyclops" chapter of Ulysses (The Philosophy of Irish Ireland by DP Moran, 1909, is a clear early articulation of this unfortunate school of thought), yet this book lacks any sense of how a distinctly Irish tradition of far-right thought has always existed.
What's also missing is a sufficient sense of how reactionary currents within the Catholic Church represent a part of the story. Whilst the author does acknowledge that lay Catholic groups were a key element in garnering popular support for the Nationalist side in the Spanish civil war, the legacy of lay Catholic groups such as Youth Defense in creating both a radicalised far-right base and promoting race-based politics is largely overlooked. The careers of key Irish far right activists such as Justin Barrett and Áine Ní Chonaill, both of whom are only dealt with in passing here, can't be understood without this context.
In reality, far right politics is too diffuse to be understood as part of a single continuous tradition, and no book of 270 pages can hope to give a sufficient account of it. Those rioting in Dublin in November 2023 had far more in common with the rioters in Stockport not long afterwards than anything to do with the efforts by European racists to organise here profiled throughout this book - perhaps the key is instead to understand the different elements covered in this book both in relation to trends in wider far-right thought (for instance, O'Duffy as an analogue to classical fascism as advocated by Mussolini, Barrett as a neo-Nazi, and the Dublin rioters as a local manifestation of a wider racist politics disseminated online) and as expressions ons of the particular forms of xenophobia and racism in the Irish society of their times.
Too much of this book is taken up with a survey of efforts by European or British fascists to organise in Ireland and their supporters here, and a retelling of the overfamiliar story of Eoin O'Duffy's ill-advised efforts to become an Il Duce figure. There has been an explicitly racist and ethnically focused dimension to Irish nationalist politics for long enough for it to have been satirised in the "Cyclops" chapter of Ulysses (The Philosophy of Irish Ireland by DP Moran, 1909, is a clear early articulation of this unfortunate school of thought), yet this book lacks any sense of how a distinctly Irish tradition of far-right thought has always existed.
What's also missing is a sufficient sense of how reactionary currents within the Catholic Church represent a part of the story. Whilst the author does acknowledge that lay Catholic groups were a key element in garnering popular support for the Nationalist side in the Spanish civil war, the legacy of lay Catholic groups such as Youth Defense in creating both a radicalised far-right base and promoting race-based politics is largely overlooked. The careers of key Irish far right activists such as Justin Barrett and Áine Ní Chonaill, both of whom are only dealt with in passing here, can't be understood without this context.
In reality, far right politics is too diffuse to be understood as part of a single continuous tradition, and no book of 270 pages can hope to give a sufficient account of it. Those rioting in Dublin in November 2023 had far more in common with the rioters in Stockport not long afterwards than anything to do with the efforts by European racists to organise here profiled throughout this book - perhaps the key is instead to understand the different elements covered in this book both in relation to trends in wider far-right thought (for instance, O'Duffy as an analogue to classical fascism as advocated by Mussolini, Barrett as a neo-Nazi, and the Dublin rioters as a local manifestation of a wider racist politics disseminated online) and as expressions ons of the particular forms of xenophobia and racism in the Irish society of their times.
March 2, 2025
When I moved from the US to Ireland 11 years ago, it was partly because of what I was seeing politically in my country of origin. It was clear that the political right was getting more extreme and the political left didn't understand what was happening in that world and the attitudes held by people with compatible worldviews. Without understanding these things, it's impossible to push back against them. So upon my arrival here, this was something I was paying attention to. There are many differences between the political systems and while there are many similarities, cultural expectations are very different between the two countries as are the national myths and many other things. The politics will reflect and be influenced by all that, of course. It didn't take me long to realize that there was no major organized far right political party in Ireland. To be sure, there was evidence of a few people scattered around spewing their hatred, and a few attempts at creating political parties based on far right ideas, but these never came to fruition. More recently, particularly after the pandemic, such people have become more visible and violent and have managed to form some small parties or have run as independents. A handful of them got elected to local offices, but in the general election later in the year, they had no success.
Since I've been here, I have followed these shifts with interest and have wanted to know more about what underlies these attitudes. Some of it is what you'd expect--immigration, societal upheaval, economic issues. But there was more to it than that. So when I saw this book, I was eager to read it. It did not disappoint. The author skillfully weaves together the different cultural strands that fed into the fascist movement and the opposition to it from the time when Irish independence was just beginning to the present day. He starts with the rise of fascism in Italy, which was picked up by some of the few Italian immigrants in Dublin at the time. He shows how it was spreading in Britain, and what that meant for Ireland, particularly with issues around partition and tensions between those who wanted Ireland--and especially Northern Ireland--to remain a part of the British Empire and those who wanted a united Ireland. The British fascists argued that the fight for Irish independence was part of a Jewish plot to take over the world. This is another important aspect of this book--it illustrates very well the ways in which any societal crisis can be twisted into a nonsensical conspiracy theory that will be believed by some segment of the population and used to cause great harm. One thing this history does is remind us that the underlying methods of mis/disinformation and hate-mongering have been the same in the past, but now we have instant communication so this spreads faster and connects more people. Another common boogeyman was and is socialism--or more accurately, the fear of socialism. All of the rhetoric being spewed out now by far right ideologues worldwide was being spewed out in the past, too, with culturally resonant details tossed in.
In any case, the popularity of far right/fascist groups has waxed and waned through time, sometimes making strange bedfellows.
At the moment, the fascists/far right in Ireland are being advised by more experienced and better organized groups from both the US and UK. I expect we haven't heard the last of them.
This is an excellent book and I am so glad to have read it. It was exactly the book I'd been looking for and had been unable to find until now. It's an important contribution to Irish history, anthropology, and political science as well as for those interested in the rise of far right political movements in general. It was fascinating, informative, and provided much food for thought.
I thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for a DRC.
Since I've been here, I have followed these shifts with interest and have wanted to know more about what underlies these attitudes. Some of it is what you'd expect--immigration, societal upheaval, economic issues. But there was more to it than that. So when I saw this book, I was eager to read it. It did not disappoint. The author skillfully weaves together the different cultural strands that fed into the fascist movement and the opposition to it from the time when Irish independence was just beginning to the present day. He starts with the rise of fascism in Italy, which was picked up by some of the few Italian immigrants in Dublin at the time. He shows how it was spreading in Britain, and what that meant for Ireland, particularly with issues around partition and tensions between those who wanted Ireland--and especially Northern Ireland--to remain a part of the British Empire and those who wanted a united Ireland. The British fascists argued that the fight for Irish independence was part of a Jewish plot to take over the world. This is another important aspect of this book--it illustrates very well the ways in which any societal crisis can be twisted into a nonsensical conspiracy theory that will be believed by some segment of the population and used to cause great harm. One thing this history does is remind us that the underlying methods of mis/disinformation and hate-mongering have been the same in the past, but now we have instant communication so this spreads faster and connects more people. Another common boogeyman was and is socialism--or more accurately, the fear of socialism. All of the rhetoric being spewed out now by far right ideologues worldwide was being spewed out in the past, too, with culturally resonant details tossed in.
In any case, the popularity of far right/fascist groups has waxed and waned through time, sometimes making strange bedfellows.
At the moment, the fascists/far right in Ireland are being advised by more experienced and better organized groups from both the US and UK. I expect we haven't heard the last of them.
This is an excellent book and I am so glad to have read it. It was exactly the book I'd been looking for and had been unable to find until now. It's an important contribution to Irish history, anthropology, and political science as well as for those interested in the rise of far right political movements in general. It was fascinating, informative, and provided much food for thought.
I thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for a DRC.
September 19, 2025
A good overview of the history of the far-right in Ireland written in a lucid and accessible style. The far-right movement of contemporary Ireland while remaining small and fractured has achieved a level of sustained presence and action bolstered by Social Media and access to an international extremist network with an intense focus on the single issue of immigration, allowing old long established tropes established around anti-semitism and 'foreign'influence to be re- imagined and re-launched into popular discourse around broader virulent racist and islamophobic themes. Added to that is 'culture war' themes fueled in part by recent liberalization in Irish life and legislation around divorce, contraception, marriage equality and recognition of LGBTQ+ rights. Of importance in the rise of the right particularly during the Covid crisis and in the years up to the Dublin Riots was the failure of the Irish establishment and security services to take the phenomenon seriously and the 'softly softly' handling of far-right incitement and violence. The contemporary Irish illiberal extremist groups and their leading figures seem united in their ignorance of Irish culture, history and most strikingly by their inability to converse in the national language. They associate with extremist Loyalists and British fascists (who hold extremist racist views about the Irish people) without any apparent disquiet. Several of the leading rightist figures in Ireland are former members of the British Army and others were members of British extremist political parties. Their ignorance is outweighed only by an astounding lack of irony. Despite the current ahistoricism of many Irish extreme right wingers, O Ruairc does establish the persistent strain of Irish extremist right wing political action dating back to the immediate aftermath of the War of Independence and taking us right up to the present day. Extensively well researched and referenced, but yet eminently readable avoiding too much heavy academic sociological jargon, this is a must-read for anyone concerned about the rise of illiberal extremism in Ireland.
May 5, 2025
An alternative title for this book might be “A History of Ireland’s worst creeps, cranks, weirdos, and losers”. But, as Pádraig Óg Ó Ruairc warns in ‘Burn Them Out’ - his excellent, scathing history of Fascism in Ireland - just because the Irish far-right appears preposterous and risible, it doesn’t mean that these pound shop-Mussolinis cannot prove extremely dangerous.
In tracing the wretched history of Irish Fascism, Ó Ruairc devotes a large part of ‘Burn Them Out’ to the Blueshirt movement led by General Eoin O’Duffy. Previous generations of Irish historians have tended to underplay the extremism and violence of The Blueshirts - and to underestimate the influence it had in wider Irish society - but Ó Ruairc demonstrates how their reach extended right into the heart of the Irish political establishment. Indeed, Ó Ruairc argues that, in the pre-WWII era, The Blueshirts were “the largest non-governing fascist movement in Europe”.
North of the border, Ó’Ruairc analyses how various Loyalist groupings have collaborated closely with generations of British Fascists (the former’s loyalty to the crown seemingly not precluding them from working with the self-professed heirs to Adolf Hitler). While Ó’Ruairc writes from an unabashedly republican perspective, he is unsparing in his criticism of those elements of Irish Republicanism who flirted with continental fascism during the late 1930s and 1940s (the IRA chief-of-staff Sean Russell being the most notorious example).
Despite the buffoonery of the brandy-soaked Eoin O’Duffy - and notwithstanding the hitherto pitiful electoral performance of Ireland’s latter-day ‘fake-triots’, ‘Burn Them Out’ shows the danger posed by these bigoted thugs should not be under-estimated. This book shows the dangers of complacency and how we make a mistake by not taking these fascists seriously. As Ó Ruairc demonstrates in this timely study, “Ireland is not intrinsically immune from fascism”, and it is impossible to read ‘Burn Them Out’ and not note the parallels with today.
In tracing the wretched history of Irish Fascism, Ó Ruairc devotes a large part of ‘Burn Them Out’ to the Blueshirt movement led by General Eoin O’Duffy. Previous generations of Irish historians have tended to underplay the extremism and violence of The Blueshirts - and to underestimate the influence it had in wider Irish society - but Ó Ruairc demonstrates how their reach extended right into the heart of the Irish political establishment. Indeed, Ó Ruairc argues that, in the pre-WWII era, The Blueshirts were “the largest non-governing fascist movement in Europe”.
North of the border, Ó’Ruairc analyses how various Loyalist groupings have collaborated closely with generations of British Fascists (the former’s loyalty to the crown seemingly not precluding them from working with the self-professed heirs to Adolf Hitler). While Ó’Ruairc writes from an unabashedly republican perspective, he is unsparing in his criticism of those elements of Irish Republicanism who flirted with continental fascism during the late 1930s and 1940s (the IRA chief-of-staff Sean Russell being the most notorious example).
Despite the buffoonery of the brandy-soaked Eoin O’Duffy - and notwithstanding the hitherto pitiful electoral performance of Ireland’s latter-day ‘fake-triots’, ‘Burn Them Out’ shows the danger posed by these bigoted thugs should not be under-estimated. This book shows the dangers of complacency and how we make a mistake by not taking these fascists seriously. As Ó Ruairc demonstrates in this timely study, “Ireland is not intrinsically immune from fascism”, and it is impossible to read ‘Burn Them Out’ and not note the parallels with today.
April 7, 2025
Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley and Head of Zeus in exchange for an honest review
There is a strong belief in Ireland that we don't do fascism, that far-right extremism and racism is an issue on the Continent, but not for us. The book dispells this myth and shows the long history of far-right groups in Ireland and the almost countless number of fascist parties that have been set up (though thankfully almost all quickly disappeared without a trace). I had no idea that there had been a branch of the Nazi Party in Dublin among the German community.
The book is very factual, although at times too much so, with some sections just being a listing of facts and events that would benefit from a detailed analysis and a broader narrative. The last chapter in particular needs more work, it is far too long, covering everything from 1945 to the present day, and should instead be at least 3 separate chapters. The section on the current rise of far-right parties feels rushed and needs more analysis, and the book could do with a conclusion chapter.
The author does have something of a Republican bias and he repeatedly emphasises the presence of Republicans among anti-Fascist activists while portraying the far-right as not true Republicans. In contrast, he highlights the links between Fascists and Unionists, while not mentioning any anti-Fascists Unionists. Reading the book, you get the impression that Unionism is complicit with Fascism whereas Republicanism has always stood strong against it, whereas the reality is more nuanced.
Overall, a very interesting book that just needs a little polishing.
There is a strong belief in Ireland that we don't do fascism, that far-right extremism and racism is an issue on the Continent, but not for us. The book dispells this myth and shows the long history of far-right groups in Ireland and the almost countless number of fascist parties that have been set up (though thankfully almost all quickly disappeared without a trace). I had no idea that there had been a branch of the Nazi Party in Dublin among the German community.
The book is very factual, although at times too much so, with some sections just being a listing of facts and events that would benefit from a detailed analysis and a broader narrative. The last chapter in particular needs more work, it is far too long, covering everything from 1945 to the present day, and should instead be at least 3 separate chapters. The section on the current rise of far-right parties feels rushed and needs more analysis, and the book could do with a conclusion chapter.
The author does have something of a Republican bias and he repeatedly emphasises the presence of Republicans among anti-Fascist activists while portraying the far-right as not true Republicans. In contrast, he highlights the links between Fascists and Unionists, while not mentioning any anti-Fascists Unionists. Reading the book, you get the impression that Unionism is complicit with Fascism whereas Republicanism has always stood strong against it, whereas the reality is more nuanced.
Overall, a very interesting book that just needs a little polishing.
January 5, 2026
Fantastic insight into some of the political organisation in 20th century Ireland, particularly for through WWII. Postwar analysis was not as explanatory or in depth, but the point nonetheless of the patterns we see in the 2020s are not new in Ireland is well-made. “History may not repeat but it often rhymes” comes to mind. There is fruitful examples of British influence in these movements as well, and particularly in the current day and age influence from the US also (social media, etc). Highly recommend for anybody interested in political history, organisation history, and people interested in how different themes may resurface in society. Would say that some concepts are best understood with a deeper familiarly of Ireland (for instance, in the postwar period, know what “direct provision” is). I read it out of personal interest and at times felt it to be a bit dense but that’s to be expected for such an academically informed book.
May 5, 2025
If the far-right weren't so dangerous this would be a great comedy book. The sections about a pedophilic supposed ancestor of Brian Boru who wanted to become king of Ireland, the insane conspiracy theories, the hypocrisy of a large number of pedophiles in the far-right movement and so much more made for really interesting, and at times hilarious, reading. That being said the threat of fascism is a serious one and I recommend everyone read this book to understand where they come from and who they actually are.
September 1, 2025
this was a tough but necessary read. i honestly feel like i learned so much from this, and i found it to be quite eye-opening. i feel like at school we certainly glossed over a lot of the darker aspects of irish history, and culturally we certainly do lean into this idea of irish exceptionalism. it helped to contextualise the scary recent riots that have happened across the island. i found it refreshing to see the author write clearly and purposefully about topics, especially current affairs, that media agencies and online commentators often skirt around or dilute (perhaps out of fear?)
August 21, 2025
Interesting and meticulously researched but an outline without any substantial political analysis of why the far right has ebbed and flowed (and now growing fast) in Ireland
December 11, 2025
MORE FICTION THAN FACT!
https://www.theburkean.ie/articles/20...
This is a very poor effort for a man supposed to have a PhD as he doesn't even check his allegations, that he makes against an innocent Kilkenny man in this book. It's a book written for the woke liberals in Irish society who are now dominant no more, thankfully.
O'Ruairc writes about people without even checking them out, accusing them of being nazis and fascists in what is little more than a diatribe of a book, especially against Irish people who love their country.
Not only is it made up by O'Ruairc but he also makes serious allegations against living people that could incite and inflame persons against them that could even result in violent attacks on the innocent!
A hastily cobbled together head job on Irish ethnic nationalists, Padraig Og O'Ruairc's book,"Burn Them Out" even got the year of Kristallnacht wrong!
A lousy title too, we don't know who was supposed to burn who out?
Daylight robbery with such tripe costing 18.99 euro
A totally irresponsible and forgettable book, 300 pages of boring lists of Irish nationalists across the 20th century up to today - but the book vitally misses out on Conor McGregor, so it's dated already.
Anyway, for much of the book the writer plagiarises the old Irish ANTIFA publication UNDERTONES - but with the permission of the ANTIFA author as it's really an extremist leftist project and they are in it together.
Anybody who loves their country or who ever criticised LGBTQ+ is a nazi or a fascist in this new book by Padraig Og O'Ruairc, obviously a proponent of the new Woke outlook.
Every nationalist is suspect, especially everybody against the onrushing mass immigration flood.
The book BURN THEM OUT is a steaming pile of WOKE SHYTE! It is a CONSPIRACY TO DECEIVE. The author plagiarises a propagandist book up on the Internet, UNDERTONES, THE FAR RIGHT IN IRELAND by Bernardino O'Reilly of ANTIFA Ireland - but with O'Reilly's permission.
The author paid Bloomsbury ten thousand to publish this diatribe under their OPEN ACCESS project!
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This is a very poor effort for a man supposed to have a PhD as he doesn't even check his allegations, that he makes against an innocent Kilkenny man in this book. It's a book written for the woke liberals in Irish society who are now dominant no more, thankfully.
O'Ruairc writes about people without even checking them out, accusing them of being nazis and fascists in what is little more than a diatribe of a book, especially against Irish people who love their country.
Not only is it made up by O'Ruairc but he also makes serious allegations against living people that could incite and inflame persons against them that could even result in violent attacks on the innocent!
A hastily cobbled together head job on Irish ethnic nationalists, Padraig Og O'Ruairc's book,"Burn Them Out" even got the year of Kristallnacht wrong!
A lousy title too, we don't know who was supposed to burn who out?
Daylight robbery with such tripe costing 18.99 euro
A totally irresponsible and forgettable book, 300 pages of boring lists of Irish nationalists across the 20th century up to today - but the book vitally misses out on Conor McGregor, so it's dated already.
Anyway, for much of the book the writer plagiarises the old Irish ANTIFA publication UNDERTONES - but with the permission of the ANTIFA author as it's really an extremist leftist project and they are in it together.
Anybody who loves their country or who ever criticised LGBTQ+ is a nazi or a fascist in this new book by Padraig Og O'Ruairc, obviously a proponent of the new Woke outlook.
Every nationalist is suspect, especially everybody against the onrushing mass immigration flood.
The book BURN THEM OUT is a steaming pile of WOKE SHYTE! It is a CONSPIRACY TO DECEIVE. The author plagiarises a propagandist book up on the Internet, UNDERTONES, THE FAR RIGHT IN IRELAND by Bernardino O'Reilly of ANTIFA Ireland - but with O'Reilly's permission.
The author paid Bloomsbury ten thousand to publish this diatribe under their OPEN ACCESS project!
LATEST TCD REVIEW:
https://www.theburkean.ie/articles/20...
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