Hell at the Gates: The Inside Story of Ireland's Financial Downfall

by John Lee, Daniel McConnell

On 28 November 2010, the Irish government infamously agreed to a bailout from the Troika to save Ireland’s failing economy. This decision had huge and long-lasting social implications for Ireland and her people, and led to the annihilation of Fianna Fáil and its allies in the 2011 general election. In 'Hell at the Gates', Brian Cowen, the late Brian Lenihan, Eamon Ryan, Micheál Martin, Mary Harney and many others, recount for the first time in their own words the inside story behind the actions of the most hated government in living memory. The result is a deeply honest, intensely personal and revelation-strewn account of their experiences in the white heat of an economic meltdown. It reveals the extent to which Cowen and Lenihan’s relationship disintegrated, how members of the government were physically attacked by the public and also gives the definitive account by Micheál Martin himself of why he chose in early 2011 to move against his embattled leader. As Mary O’Rourke said of those days, ‘There was drama, tragedy, pathos, comedy, farce, love and death. It was like a Shakespearean drama.’ John Lee and Daniel McConnell have interviewed the people who were at the coalface of this drama, to produce a gripping account of those fateful days in and around Leinster House.

315 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2016

About the author

Librarian Note: There are multiple authors in the Goodreads database with this name.

John Lee*, Mystery & Thrillers, Journalist
John Lee, 1850-1922
John Lee, Fiction, wrote "Unicorn Saga"
John Lee, b.1946, History
John Lee, British actor, voice actor, professional narrator, and playwright
John Lee, Allergist
John Lee, Travel writer
John Lee, "the Wealth Dragon", Entrepreneur and property investor
John Lee, Gay Love & Erotica
John Lee*, Fantasy
John Lee*, author and illustrator, "Joy Sun Bear"
John Lee, 1779-1859
John Lee, "the Dealionaire", real estate investor
John Lee, Baron, British MP
John Lee, wrote "MonsterFungus" series
John Lee, petroleum engineering
John Lee, English, early modern studies
John Lee, economics, South East Asia

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Reviews

[Orlaith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a rollicking ride through what was a devastating time. Interesting that they do not deify Brian Lenihan and show Brian Cowen's humanity. They really got great interviews. Two small bugbears - i am sure Brian Meenan and Eoin Dorgan would be pleasantly surprised to see themselves described as senior civil servants on page 34. They were neither senior in age or rank at the time.

The Art deco building mentioned on page 290 housed the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Innvoation in 2011 not the Department of Trade and Industry as it was called in the book. Incidentally the architect of the building was James Boyd-Barrett.