The Scrap

by Gene Kerrigan

In the last hours of the 1916 Easter Rising, 20-year old Charlie Saurin came face to face with his Commander-in-Chief, Patrick Pearse.

In a final gamble, Pearse had a desperate plan to save the collapsing rebellion.

It required the sacrifice of Saurin and his comrades.

The Scrap is the true story of the rising, from first-hand evidence, as seen by one rebel unit - F Company, 2nd Battalion - following them from the first skirmish in Fairview to the inferno of the GPO.

Told in the context of some of the major events of that week, the story of F Company brings alive the excitement, the humour, the horror and the contradictions of that decisive moment in the creation of the Irish state.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Irish Literature, 20th Century, Ireland

384 pages, Paperback

First published October 22, 2015

About the author

Gene Kerrigan is an Irish journalist and novelist who grew up in Cabra in Dublin. His works include political commentary on Ireland since the 1970s in such publications as Magill magazine and the Sunday Independent newspaper. He has also written about Ireland for International Socialism magazine. He was chosen as World Journalist of the Year in 1985 and 1990, and has written books, including fiction and non-fiction. His book The Rage won the 2012 Gold Dagger for the best crime novel of the year.

http://www.amazon.com/wiki/Gene_Kerri...

Reviews

[Helena Stone · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I’m perfectly honest, I have to admit that I didn’t really want to read this book. Since I live in Ireland it has been impossible not to be aware of the upcoming commemoration of the 1916 Easter Rising. Considering how long the lead up has been, I was fed up with the whole event before it even started. But my reading group was adamant they wanted to read about the rising and that it had to be a non-fiction book. So I took to the catalogue of my library and discovered only one title of which we stock enough copies to make it at least feasible that most if not all members would have the opportunity to read the book before our next meeting: The Scrap by Gene Kerrigan.

Now that I have finished to book I find myself having to admit I was wrong. I’m really happy I was ‘made’ to read this book. Before I started reading The Scrap my knowledge about The Rising was very basic. This book proved itself to be a very enjoyable way to learn more.

What really worked for me is that the author tells the story through the eyes of a whole host of participants in The Rising—from its doomed leaders to several teenagers who were part of the event despite their elders best efforts to keep them out of it and a wide range of characters in between those extremes. Initially the flurry of names and places thrown at the reader confused me, but it wasn’t long at all before I found myself becoming attached to at least a few of the recurring participants. And despite the fact that I (of course) knew how the ‘story’ was going to end, I couldn’t help rooting for those I’d come to care for.

The anecdotal manner in which this story is told—giving us glimpses of moments rather than a grand, overall picture—made this an easy to read book with an almost fictional feel to the narrative.

It was wonderful to read a book in which women were given their rightful place in history. Because women played a huge role in the Easter Rising and not ‘just’ as nurses. They were at the centre of the action, facing as much danger as their male counterparts and unlike so many other commentators and books, Gene Kerrigan acknowledges that.

There were times it read like a comedy rather than a factional description of a doomed uprising. For example: Dublin’s inner city is burning, the GPO has been abandoned and a few of the still remaining Volunteers take shelter in a shop on Moore Street.

“The rebels now had access to Cogan’s grocery shop, at the junction of Henry Place and Moore Street. Inside, John Twamley was barricading the back room window against snipers. Pearse came into the shop, then James Connolly was carried in on a stretcher. A couple of Cumann na mBan women began cooking a large ham.”

I mean, WTF? ‘Cooking a large ham’? I’m sure they were hungry but given the circumstances cooking a ham which depending on its size, takes several hours, feels kinda ridiculous.

In fact, the whole Rising, from (delayed) beginning to end was filled with what for me were WTF moments. And it was exactly those WTF moments which made me realise that even war and unrest are human endeavours and that they almost have to be a combination of the mundane and the breathtaking, the expected and the incredible, dumb luck and even dumber misfortune. With that in mind The Scrap seems to be a very appropriate title for the whole affair.

[Iain Snelling · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting and sometimes shocking incidents in the uprising, relating to one Company. But no coherent narrative, more a series of fragments - the company was dispersed at the start by the confusion about whether the rising was ‘on’. Perhaps the most striking feature of the book was the final chapters on the Civil War and the early years of the Free State - in these brief chapters the sense of betrayal of the rebels who lost their lives, in the following years was very clear.

[Paul Mcloughlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Only a series of snapshots of what happened in that fateful week, but a cracking read all the same, and a clever way of giving the reader a documentary style run through the crucial events in Dublin (and , briefly, elsewhere). Vivid, tightly written, balanced and unsparing. Highly recommended.

[Míceál Ó Gealbháin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very good study of the Easter Rising. With an interesting account of the participants post Rising. A quick read and very informative.

[emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve read a few books on the 1916 rising but this is the first one that really brought it to life. Incredibly evocative.

[Sheila · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful book ,explaining in simple and generally uncomplicated language, the lead up to the Easter Rising and the story of a particular group of fighters. Brought the whole story to life , reflecting the human side of the story from the perspective of some of the soldiers and families. Also included civilians and how they were affected. The most interesting thing for me was what happened to some of the survivors...one became an actor in Hollywood!!
I've recommended this book to many as it whets your appetite for more details. A fantastic introduction for anyone who wants to understand these events

[Francisco Rebollo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exhilarating bird's-eye-view of the 1916 rebellion. Street by street, shoulder to shoulder and through the eyes of the participants, this book highlights and backstory to 'the scrap' that was the Easter Rising. Kerrigan achieves a credible, detached and fair voice which relates this incredible chapter in history in a flowing narrative.
There is no glamorizing, air-brushing or agenda here, the human story of both sides gets a chance to shine through. Details have been painstakingly drawn from many primary historical sources to produce a joined-up and thoroughly enjoyable book.

[Ted Farrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly readable history of the 1916 Easter Rising based on the statements of survivors. Written in a simple direct style, the author captures the frenetic nature of the conflict.

One slight disappointment for me was the absence of all but the very occasional reference to the view of members of the British army to the conflict. I'm quite sure such records exist. It's a pity they weren't incorporated into the story.

[Betty · Rating 4 out of 5]

If the author should happen to read this comment then I'd just like to ask him why he seems to have so little interest in the role of Sean Russell? Anyone who knows the area, the 1916 era personalities or the story of Annesley Bridge would almost certainly want to discus this unique revolutionary and his role in the rising.

[T H · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting take on the Easter Rising as seen from the diaries/contemporaneous documents of F Company