Bitter Freedom

by Maurice Walsh

The Irish Revolution - the war between the British authorities and the newly-formed IRA - was the first successful revolt anywhere against the British Empire. This is a vividly-written, compelling narrative placing events in Ireland in the wider context of a world in turmoil after the ending of a global war: one that saw the collapse of empires and the rise of fascist Italy and communist Russia. Walsh shows how developments in Europe and America had a profound effect on Ireland, influencing the attitudes and expectations of combatants and civilians.

Walsh also brings to life what Irish people who were not fully involved in the fighting were doing - the plays they went to, the exciting films they watched in the new cinemas, the books they read and the work they did. The freedom from Britain that most of them wanted was, when it came, a bitter disappointment to a generation aware of the promise of modernity.

Genres: History, Ireland, Nonfiction, European History, Irish Literature, Irish Civil War, Academic

544 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2015

About the author

Maurice Walsh was born in Clonmel, Co. Tipperary in 1961 and worked for The Irish Times in Dublin and Belfast before becoming a foreign correspondent in Central America during the revolutionary upheavals of the 1980s. Later he reported for the BBC as a correspondent and documentary from Africa, Asia, Latin America, the United States and Europe. He has lived in Managua, Santiago and Mexico City. His essays, reviews and reportage have appeared in Granta, the London Review of Books, the Dublin Review, the New Statesman and many other newspapers and magazines.

He teaches holds a PhD from the University of London and teaches journalism at Brunel University. He was Knight Wallace Fellow at the University of Michigan in 2001 and Alistair Horne Fellow at St Antony's College, Oxford in 2010/11.

---from website bio (see URL)

Reviews

[P · Rating 4 out of 5]

A grim description of the carnage that took place in Ireland following WWI. Well written (and narrated), this book iterates in excruciating detail the levels of brutality men on both sides resorted to in order to achieve... What? From the IRA side the goal is never quite made clear, other than 'freedom', while on the British side the goal seemed to be nothing more than to prevail - to maintain dominance over a people quite similar to themselves living on an island less than 100 miles away.
The attraction of this historical rendition is its objectivity; it's an unbiased account of a tragic time between peoples who would otherwise be known as 'civilized.' In this case, hardly.

[Ira · Rating 3 out of 5]

After summering in Dublin during this, the centennial of the Easter uprising, I was intrigued to know how the celebrated (and failed) rebellion led to Irish independence. This book provided an interesting tale of the sausage making, revolution and semi-civil war that went into the post-uprising period as well as strived to put the Irish battle for independence within the context of other independence efforts from the British Empire. However, I thought the book jumped time periods a little too roughly and did not carry its thesis (or a thesis) throughout. But I don't think it went far enough to build the world wide context. In particular, I felt the final chapters were rushed and the last chapter was particularly bolted on. That said, I did learn a lot. Perhaps people that read historical non-fiction more than I do are in a better position to evaluate whether this was a "good" history book.

[AnnaRichelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Politics have always been corrupt. This book was interesting but made me sad how it’s always the people, the backbone of a country, that takes the beating while the powers in charge do their corrupt powermonging.

[Damien G · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best introduction to the Irish revolution of 1918 to 1922
It is a easy and thoughtful read it allows us to understand the Irish revolution and subsequent civil war. For too long the Irish focused on the Easter uprising and rise of Seinn Feinn leading to the Anglo Irish treaty. The civil war was but a footnote quietly forgotten only remembered for the shooting of Michael Collins. This book alows us to view Irish history in a open and detailed manner. The reality is that the treaty politicians armed by the British executed many republicans men whom they had fought together to gain independence. Retaliation led to republicans killing Free State soldiers. In turn the author also explores the birth of Northern Ireland and how the Catholic community were betrayed by both the Free State and Its opponent. A united Ireland would not happen. This Unionists in the North knew as early as1918 that partition would happen. Suggesting that the both the Free State and Sinn Feinn would willingly surrender the North to gain an independent state. In truth the civil war was not about the Free State, partition, and acceptance of the Anglo Irish Treaty but a complex multilayered understanding of what it was to be Irish in a post war world. Many southern Irish died on the battlefields of France and survivors felt that their service was ignored and worst they were seen as traitors to Ireland .

[Sean Meagher · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a great history of the Irish uprising and early days of the IRA from 1918-1923. The author uses an easy narrative style, and from the outset, attempts to tell the story of these of events from a global context. I am not sure he quite succeeds in the endeavor, but we do get a great distillation of what life was like at the time through journals, diaries, and newspaper articles culled from the era. Like the later IRA actions, we see that they seemed to lack a clear understanding of what Irish independence should look like, and that is made obvious through this text. I was especially fascinated by the pieces about Michael Collins and his eventual assassination. The new Irish state which emerged was intensely socially conservative; economically destitute and far from the utopia the Irish revolutionaries imagined when they began their struggle. Walsh's book brilliantly brings to life this difficult era of Irish history. He offers a detailed account of political happenings and high profile public figures. The true strength of his work, however, is in his vivid descriptions of everyday life in Ireland during such troubled times.

[Ahmad Zeid · Rating 5 out of 5]

لا أجد كتب التاريخ في كثير من الأحيان مسلية ومشجعة على القراءة، لكن هذا الكتاب مشوق من أول إلى آخر صفحة. يصف الكتاب أحداث الثورة الإيرلندية على البريطانيين وتكون الجيش الإيرلندي الجمهوري وتوقيعهم لمعاهدة الاستقلال وما لحقها من حرب أهلية بين الجمهوريين والخلاف مع إيرلندا الشمالية. أعجبني استخدام الكاتب لمذكرات ناس من العامة إلى جانب الصحف وكتب التاريخ وغيرها. كما فهمت أيضًا عبر الشرح بعض الأحداث التاريخية التي حصلت في أماكن أخرى مثل فلسطين.

[Scott Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Audiobook) A solid overview of a significant time in Irish history, the transition years between 1918 and 1923, when Ireland went from British settlement to (mostly) independent nation. The transition was hardly a smooth and peaceful process. Resentment and violence accompany this tale, as it had for generations of British rule over Ireland. The aftermath of the abortive Easter Rising resonated in the post-war British Empire, as Ireland took the drive for independence and through fighting, posturing, domestic and international messaging, managed to obtain, at least for most of the country, a degree of independence from England.

The catch is the explosive debate between the Ulster Protestants and Irish Catholics, which saw the eventual partition of Ireland where the Protestant North went over to England, and other counties in Ulster joined Ireland. The bitter feelings and disputes still resonate today, 100 years after the events documented in this work.

Walsh does an effective job of balancing geo-political, military and socio-economic concerns in this work. Interesting choice getting an Irishman to narrate the work. There was the potential to make the narrative seem a little kitsch, but the narrator made it work. The rating is the same regardless of format. For a key part of Irish history, worth the read (especially as we get closer to St. Patrick’s Day).

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the movie "The Banshees of Inisherin," characters on an island off the west coast of Ireland hear distant guns from Ireland's civil war. I remember thinking, "dang, I really should know more about that conflict." But after reading "Bitter Freedom," I now realize that the civil war wasn't a land battle. It was basically a bunch of internecine tit-for-tat terrorist attacks from two rival factions. The author does a good job of explaining the conflict in the context of the wider world. The book's marketing oversells this point. Yes, there is talk about Woodrow Wilson, the Treaty Versailles and all that, but the book spends more time contextualizing the conflict by giving a sense of what life in Ireland was like during the time period. Sometimes the author falls a bit too much in love with his research, but most of the time the period details are crucial. The police force play heavily in the period's history. Well then, what was it like to be a policeman? These are the sort of details that make this book more than just a retelling of the simple facts.

[Elisabeta Mocanu · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the angles of naration , both from a global perspective of post WWI English Empire transformation and the personal experience of normal Irish citizens of that time . I highly recommend it , but only to people who already have a background knowledge on the subject and look for a deeper understanding of 1918-1924 Ireland.

[andy noble · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant account of the Irish war for Independence and the subsequent civil war. Walsh brilliantly places what happened in Ireland into a global context and a massively changing world. As the order still tried to cling onto power as the world around them had changed due to the social impacts of World War 1. A worthy read and very well written

[Sarah Weiner · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Very interesting book and relatively easy to read. However, this was my first nonfiction book on the Irish revolution, and it didn't give me enough of an understanding of the basics and mechanics of the independence movement.

[Michael O · Rating 5 out of 5]

unbiased account of the 1918/1923 struggle for identity

I would recommend this book for all interested in this period of Irish evolution,excellent for academic or history reader. Well written with plenty of social knowledge woven through the tale.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting and occasionally quite successful attempt to find new angles on a very well covered bit of history, primarily by trying to cast the events in a broader context than just a struggle between Britain and Ireland.

[Emily Graham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Would definitely recommend to anyone interested in a globally-contextualized history of Irish independence-- a quick, easy, and fascinating read.

[Robert S · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting read about the development of Ireland in the early 20th century.

[Kieran · Rating 4 out of 5]

Telling a story I already knew, that of Ireland’s war with Britain for independence, but told through the lens of the era of post-war upheaval, as Wilsonian idealism met bitter reality.

[Ben Simpson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super interesting exploration of the Irish revolution and civil war.

[Nicholas Dolas · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid overview of a fascinating period of Twentieth Century history.

[Andy Hart · Rating 4 out of 5]

This narrative history of the civil wars that brought about and sealed Ireland's independence from Britain in the third decade of the 20th Century is crafted in beautiful prose and, with a journalist's eye, captures the human stories that underlay this final and most tragic of Ireland's struggles for freedom.

It offers a highly accessible introduction, but should not be regarded as the definitive history. Nor is it without the occasional egregious error. By way of example, in describing the London plenipotentiaries (p 313), Walsh states that, "They carried credentials giving them full negotiating powers on behalf of 'Saorstát Éireann' - the Irish translation of 'Irish Republic'." It may appear nit picking, but the Irish translation of Irish Republic - as coined by the 1916 rebels - is 'Poblacht na hÉireann', whereas 'Saorstát' translates literally as 'Free State'. The treaty negotiated by the plenipotentiaries delivered a Free State, but not a republic and this lay at the very foundations of the subsequent republican split and murderously savage violence that followed. To allow this mis-translation to stand unchallenged in this context allows an anti-treaty bias to also pass unchallenged.

[Cletus Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enlightening account of the Irish Revolution

[Brooksie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this book meh. I don't know a whole lot about the fight for independence, and I'm still unclear on a lot of the details after reading Bitter Freedom. Certain aspects were not well explained, and Walsh struggles to get the reader from Point A to Point B without meandering through the entire alphabet first.

I know Walsh is trying to bring a broader cultural context to the Irish Revolution, but what we get are distracting anecdotes about events unrelated to the revolution itself. Pages are wasted on a French boxer fighting in Dublin, when the actual point of interest is a bomb that explodes next door. We're treated to a long history of the trench coat just to mention that the republicans started wearing them. (I was honestly surprised to not find "trench coat" in the index.)

I learned a bit about Michael Collins, I learned Eamon de Valera led a long life in politics, I learned the significance of Dublin Castle, but it all would have come together more effectively if he'd stuck with the Irish conflicts and left the rest of the world out of it.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't know much of anything about the Irish revolution/independence fight before reading this, so I learned a lot about main events and major players. However, as a historical read I felt the timetable jumped around a lot, and it was unclear whether some of the more detailed anecdotes in the story (a boxing match, a jazz club, etc) were relevant to the overall narrative or were just interjected to make the story more interesting.

A clear aim of this work seemed to be to place Ireland in the political and social climate of the world at the time. I think this was achieved to a large degree. However, at points I was left feeling like I was getting a flyover view of what was actually happening in Ireland. I felt there was heavy emphasis on the early, more military parts of the conflict, and the treatment of society as a whole post-treaty felt extremely incomplete. Also, the conflict and treaty as it pertained Northern Ireland was given a snapshot in one chapter and barely mentioned again, which seemed odd.

I don't often read strict histories, but I found this one sometimes confusing and difficult to read because the main narrative seemed convoluted and often buried in a lot of detail, which was sometimes important and sometimes seemingly irrelevant.

[Damien G · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good introduction to the Irish rebellion and civil war.
To many Irish history books focus on Ireland and fail to look at their history within the international community. Often the only two countries mentioned are Britain and the USA. The author looks at the Easter rebellion the war against Britain in a fair and non judgemental manner. The agreement with Britain which led to the civil war is understood within the world that had changed after WW1. The failure of the Republicans who rejected the treaty failed to recognise this. Many countries ie Poland compromised to gain independence. Ulster and Britain had accepted a Free State which divided Ireland. The pro treaty vote recognised this, it was the best political agreement on offer.
Ulster's unionists would never be part of a free state The continuing demand for full unification by the anti treaty republican's was a political mistake leading to a divisive civil war. The civil war is seen by the Ulster Protestants as a reason for ensuring the sectarian Protestant state. The author is right to suggest that the Republicans failed the North and sowed the seeds of the troubles which exploded in 1968.

[Chris Sezon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bitter Freedom, is a book that describes Irelands freedom. The book goes through many different viewpoints of one event that takes place. For me this was very confusing, because I kept getting similar information. Also some parts I was just not interested in, because it was past all of the exciting historical significances. I also did not know some of the inner details about Ireland so that was also confusing. I would recommend this to anyone who knows someone background on the Irish culture, and wants to know more about the history.

[Mtod12 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everything I have known about the revolutionary years in Ireland has been through the prism of just what was happening in Ireland alone and outside of that when it directly related to Ireland. This book puts Ireland at this time period in the context of revolutions and changes happening around the world at the time. It was fascinating in terms of an aspect I had not thought about and of course would have influenced minds and events then as now.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was anxious to keep reading to get to the period of the Civil War 1922-1923. Now the book is finished and I'm lost for a sequel. I really enjoyed this book with sadness from reading about how Irishmen turned on each other with real viciousness.

[Gerry McCaffrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very enjoyable read; it looks at the events of the period embedded in what was happening in the western world at the time adding a refreshing perspective.