Ireland’s War of Independence 1919-21: The IRA’s Guerrilla Campaign

by Lorcan Collins

An accessible overview of Ireland's War of Independence 1919-21. From the first shooting of RIC constables in Soloheadbeg Co Tipperary on 21 January 1919 to the truce in July 1921 the IRA carried out a huge range of attacks on all levels of British rule in Ireland. There are stories of humanity such as the British soldiers who helped three IRA men escape from prison or the members of the British Army who mutinied in India after hearing about the reprisals being carried out by the Black and Tans in Ireland. The hundreds of thousands of people who celebrated the Centenary of the 1916 Rising with pride and joy are the same people who will appreciate the story of the Irish Republicans who battled against all odds in the next phase of the fight for Ireland between 1919 and 1921.

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

288 pages, Hardcover

Published July 27, 2019

About the author

Lorcan Collins co-author, with Conor Kostick, of The Easter Rising: A Guide to Dublin in 1916; founder of the 1916 Walking Tour of Dublin; lectures on Easter 1916 in the United States, and a regular contributor to radio, television and historical journals. 16 Lives is Lorcan’s concept and he is the author of the first book in the series, a biography of James Connolly.

Reviews

[Stephen Curran · Rating 3 out of 5]

Condensed history of Irish War of Independence. I found it a bit biased and anti British and not very objective

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clear, concise. Factual

As the title states, this book is clear, concise and factual. No BS. IT CLEARLY POINTS OUT THE WINSTON CHURCHILL IS.NOTHING BUT ANOTHER HITLER WHO WANTED TO MAKE THE IRISH EXTINCT!

[Hanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect and beautiful just like Éire

[Leon McCann · Rating 3 out of 5]

7/10

This book reads like a well detailed Wikipedia page. Events occur in a vacuum, isolated without any discussion on social and economic change. Reasons for why certain organisations were supported or opposed are murky. it sheds no light to why an organisation such as Sinn Féin, received encouragement from parties of opposed interests, both the reactionary Catholic Church, and organised labour groups, they received support, end of discussion. That being said the recollection of events, although at times isolated, are in great detail.

[Joel Faulkner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent account of the war, the noble goal and the brutal crackdown. The horrors are acknowledged and no one emerges clean - as is almost always the case with war.

[Owen Kelsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

those Brits need to fight like men and not the murderous thieves they are

[Zemljoradnik · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading through some of the other reviews, it is clear that people don't know the meaning of the word objective and can't comprehend what the british empire did not only to ireland and their other colonies but also the rest of the world. I find this book a good retelling of events and find it good that it hammers the point of how aggressive the reprimands to those who were persecuted for wanting freedom on their own land.

[Ethan · Rating 3 out of 5]

pretty tough book to read as someone who knows next to nothing of irish history. lots of names being dropped with little to no context, plus the book ended up feeling more like a listing of events rather than a retelling of the war. all that said, i still found it interesting

[Rob Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is lacking in objectivity, which is disappointing.

[Ciara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book with an in-depth look at the brutality of the British in Ireland. Very eye opening and honest.

Would recommend to anyone with a desire to learn about War of independence

[Otz Gimz · Rating 4 out of 5]

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