The Irish Civil War

by Tim Pat Coogan, George Morrison

It began in June, 1922, with the ratification of a treaty between Great Britain and the fledgling Irish state that called for an oath of allegiance to the king, a governor general appointed by the crown, and the partition of six counties in Northern Ireland. And during the eleven months the conflict lasted, brother fought against brother, sundering families for generations, and opening a divide in the country's politics that only now is beginning to fade. This unrivaled pictorial record and remarkable history of the war's passage pays poignant testimony to the courageous men and women prepared to fight to the death for what they believed morally right. It also serves as a sober reminder of the excesses of political zeal and how they came to haunt future generations.

Genres: History, Ireland, Nonfiction, Military History, Politics, Irish Literature, European History

288 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

Timothy Patrick Coogan is an Irish historical writer, broadcaster and newspaper columnist. He served as editor of the Irish Press newspaper from 1968 to 1987. Today, he is best known for his popular and sometimes controversial books on aspects of modern Irish history, including The IRA, Ireland Since the Rising, On the Blanket, and biographies of Michael Collins and Éamon de Valera.

Reviews

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very well-illustrated book dealing with the tragic Irish Civil War of 1922-23. It gives a good overview of the events leading up to the Civil War--the struggle for Home Rule, the Easter Rising of 1916, the Irish War for Independence, and the ratification of the Anglo-Irish Treaty. By this treaty, Ireland was partitioned, with the six mainly Protestant northern counties remaining in Great Britain and the other twenty-six counties (mainly Catholic) forming an "Irish Free State." This resulted in a split in the Irish Republican Army (IRA) and a bitter civil war of Green against Green, brother against brother.
The photos in the book help to tell the story and the text goes into some detail about the events of the Civil War. Michael Collins, as the leader of the Free State Army, was assassinated, a terrible tragedy in the midst of an even greater tragedy. In the end, the Anti- Treaty IRA forces were defeated. But the division brought about by civil war would continue to have its effect on the Irish Republic.
At the end of the story, Irish participation in another civil war--in Spain in 1936-39--is brought up. Seven hundred Irish went to fight for Franco on the Nationalist/fascist side while a smaller number of Irish fought on the Republican side. The book is a coffee-table type book, a must for students of modern Irish history.

[Tim Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A coffee table book about a war that should never have happened? Crazy but true.

The Irish Civil War was primarily a clash of egos between De Valera and Collins. Secondly, it was the question of whether the elected government (De Valera) or the de facto army (Collins) was in charge. Only thirdly was it about whether or not to accept Partition as the price of Home Rule. I have to say that De Valera was a slippery opportunist (like Lloyd George) and he must bear most of the responsibility for what happened. Collins was a violent revolutionary, but in the end, he was the more reasonable man.

[Barry Sierer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tim Pat Coogan and William Morrison combine insightfull prose with a photo collection of the action during the Irish Civil War from 1922-1923; in which the forces of Irish Free State battled the Irish Republican Army.

This format provided fairly good context to the events leading up to the civil war, as well as providing a feel for the times, but lacked the details of the military and political picture that I had hoped for.

[Bouwulf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Personally, I used this book to begin my research into the period, and have yet to regret it. Perfect in understanding the basics and giving you an interesting, well-written platform from which you can investigate further. Thoroughly recommend.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

I appreciated the combination of traditional history overview in the first part of the book and then photos with detailed captions in the rest of the book. A nice departure from histories that are endless paragraphs (though I love those too). Good change-of-pace history read. Photographs were well curated and told the story in a helpful manner.

[Kathy Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oversized book does justice to large number of historical photos. Seems focused mostly on events in the Free States, as apposed to the Six Counties. However, there are reasons why the north wouldn't have a lot of surviving photos. Looks to be very interesting book.

[Irl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Extraordinary photos I have never seen, definitely leaves you with a more complete sense of this traumatic time. Some of the commentary lapses into scornful finger wagging at foolhardy anti-treaty figures.