1972: A Novel of Ireland's Unfinished Revolution

Irish Century Novels #4

by Morgan Llywelyn

The Irish Century series is the narrative of the epic struggle of the Irish people for independence through the tumultuous twentieth century. Morgan Llywelyn's magisterial multi-novel chronicle of that story began with 1916, continued in 1921 and 1949 and now continues with 1972. In 1972, Morgan Llywelyn tells the story of Ireland from 1950-1972 as seen through the eyes of young Barry Halloran, son and grandson of Irish revolutionaries. Northern Ireland has become a running sore, poisoning life on both sides of the Irish border. Following family tradition, at eighteen Barry joins the Irish Republican Army to help complete what he sees as 'the unfinished revolution'.But things are no longer as clear cut as they once were. His first experience of violence in Northern Ireland shocks and disturbs him. Yet he has found a sense of family in the Army which is hard to give up. He makes a partial break by becoming a photographer, visually documenting events in the north rather than physically taking part in them. An unhappy early love affair is followed by a tempestuous relationship with Barbara Kavanagh, a professional singer from America. Events lead Barry into a totally different life from the one he expected, yet his allegiance to the ideal of a thirty-two county Irish republic remains undimmed as the problems, and the violence, of Northern Ireland escalate. Then Barry finds himself in the middle of the most horrific event of Bloody Sunday in Derry, 1972.The Irish Century Novels1916: A Novel of the Irish The Great Novel of the Irish Civil A Novel of the Irish Free A Novel of Ireland's Unfinished A Novel of the Celtic Tiger and the Search for PeaceAt the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Ireland, Fiction, Irish Literature, Historical, Audiobook, Adult Fiction

1 pages, Audio CD

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Morgan Llywelyn (born 1937) is an American-born Irish author best known for her historical fantasy, historical fiction, and historical non-fiction. Her fiction has received several awards and has sold more than 40 million copies, and she herself is recipient of the 1999 Exceptional Celtic Woman of the Year Award from Celtic Women International.

Reviews

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Things are heating up in the fourth Irish independence novel by Morgan Llywelyn, pitting the British and Provisional IRA against one another over the six counties not ceded in 1921. Ursula Halloran has lived a decent life, trying to raise her son alone while filling him with true Irish values. Along the way, she has been able to offer up strong political views as well, though hoped that Barry would steer clear of the violence. Unable to help himself, Barry Halloran agrees to join and help the IRA in their attempts to force Northern Ireland to be turned over by the British Government. While discussions have not worked, it is time to let blood and gunfire fill the air, all for a united Ireland. While taking a trip to America, Barry learns a little more about the racial struggles there, drawing parallels between that and the Catholic situation in the North. While Barry is willing to make his mark on a small scale, the arrival of the 1960s spurns the whole world into a revolutionary sentiment, none more than in America. Watching the struggles between the races, Barry and those with strong independence views leave the IRA and form a provisional wing, all of whom will only be happy when Britain hands it over to the Irish Free State. When sentiments from 10 Downing and in Westminster are that they will only do so after the Protestant majority seek it, the Provisional IRA make their plans to resurrect a somewhat dormant revolutionary battlecry. With Barry in the middle of the action, there is little hope that he will remain unscathed. A brilliant build-up in the penultimate novel, as Llywelyn provides ample action to resolve in the final book. Perfect for series fans and those who love modern Irish history.

Morgan Llywelyn continues to show that there is no simple or straightforward answers with the Irish Question. In a strong, multi-generational series, Barry Halloran finally climbs into the spotlight, having been raised by a single mother. His passions surely develop under both the auspices of his mother’s varied sentiments about their homeland and how the world is drastically changing. Llywelyn addresses mass communication, as well as the sobering parallels that Barry has when he learns of race relations on a trip to America. When events and scenes from around the world are gathered on the television screen, Barry uses this and the ongoing push by the IRA to solve the six county dilemma to shape his political and societal views. Ready to take up the case—like his grandfather did in the early novels—Barry sees no answer without the thirty-two counties united once and for all. Many others grace the pages of this piece, historical figures and those created by Llywelyn, offering varied flavours to the complex narrative. The renewed push for an Irish revolution is not lost on the keen reader, though there is much going on around the world to help shape momentum in that direction. New ideas by the IRA may help lessen the violent impact, though there is little doubt that some prefer bloodshed over the gentleman’s handshake. The attentive reader will enjoy a mix of longer and quick chapters, offering much history and character development. I am eager to see how the series ends and what drama Llywelyn has in store for her readers.

Kudos, Madam Llywelyn, for keeping the various political and social adventures within the Irish Free State from losing their impact.

Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/

A Book for All Seasons, a different sort of Book Challenge: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...

[David Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Morgan Llywelyn's continuation of the Irish Century series, this time covering the years between the IRA's Border Campaign in the 50's, the following period of dormancy in the struggle, the birth of the Northern Ireland civil rights movement in the 60's with the resulting increase in Unionist fueled sectarian violence, the split in IRA between the Provos and the Officials, and, finally, the British policy of Internment and the Bloody Sunday massacre in Derry, which marked the beginning of the period known as The Troubles. This time our dramatic focus is the character of Barry Halloran, son of Ursula (focus of 1949) and grandson of the republican revolutionary Ned Halloran (focus of 1916 and 1921). Barry starts out in the IRA himself but the nightmares he has from his experience killing a man face-to-face make him unwilling to play a role on the frontlines. At first he continues serving as a bomb-making expert, provided the purpose is only infrastructure sabotage and that they always issue warnings to avoid killing anyone. After a time even this level of violence is more than he can stomach, so he turns his photography hobby into a career as a photojournalist (inspired by what he has heard about the family friend, journalist Henry Mooney, a major character in the earlier novels), doing his part by documenting the conditions for Catholics and Nationalists in Northern Ireland. Barry has high hopes that the non-violent civil rights movement, inspired by the Blacks civil rights struggle in the US, will prove to be the correct course of action, until the worsening violence that would culminate in Bloody Sunday seems to dash those hopes. I found this as engaging as the others in the series, with a nice supporting cast of characters, including Barry's mother Ursula, his IRA comrade Seamus McCoy, and Barbara Kavanagh, the Irish American woman he comes to love (granddaughter of Henry Mooney). Superior historical fiction, highly recommended.

[J.S. Dunn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fewer notable characters & seems to have less substance than the prior novels in this series. 3.5 -- Llywelyn's Century series is a departure from her usual fantasy novels. Having now read selectively in this series, have been pleasantly surprised. Thankfully this is not the usual sanitized version of the Rising and aftermath nor is it partisan.

Though most of the characters are a bit flat, the author throws in plot twists commensurate with what was happening in the new Republic and tells the wider story in a fairly evenhanded manner. All the novels read to date from 1921 forward throw in lots of factoids, usually without being tedious though some of the dialogue info-dump is tedious.

Overall, this series is a good intro to 20th century Irish politics for readers who have not themselves read primary source nonfiction, history, and the biographies and memoirs of those who were there as written by and about the likes of :
Kathleen Clarke, Countess Markiewitcz, Michael Collins, Ernie O'Malley, Dan Breen, and many others. If you like this series, the original material awaits your discovery.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

I highly enjoy the Irish Century Novels though I gave this particular book 4/5 stars instead of my regular 5/5 stars for this series. I explain why in my book review on my YouTube channel!

Book Review Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yA2Vj...

[Eb Mcdermott · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the fourth in the series about Irish history in the 20th century. Historical fiction with made up characters that live through actual events that changed the course of Ireland

This book loses its way a bit with the characters. Barry is coming of age so you meet him for the first time. His grandfather Ned, who fought in the Easter Rising, is dead but lives on in his journals that Barry refers to throughout the story.

Ursula, or “Little Business”, has been a mainstay throughout the series and sadly has only a bit part in this book. Barry is now the character that leads you through The Troubles in the North

And troubles they are. The description of a peaceful march modeled after the March in Selma with Dr King that turns horribly bloody sounds exactly like what protesters in Hong Kong are experiencing today. A powerful country sends in its army or police force to try to suppress the protesters using rubber bullets and tear gas. Only in the case of Bloody Sunday in Derry they decided to substitute real bullets. A massacre ensued. History keeps repeating itself.

[Laurie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the fourth book in the historical fiction series written by Morgan Llwelyn about Ireland's struggle for independence. The previous three books were about time periods that I did not live through which may explain why I enjoyed them so much and was eager to learn about the history. However, I remember a great deal of this book's history, having lived through the time period, and thus felt less engaged with the story. Or perhaps it was just that this main character, Barry, did not appeal to me as much as some of the others. With so much of the story about the violent times, it needed more breaks with humanity and romance. And without giving away the plot, I frankly felt that the romance was even a little too boring. As always, Morgan leaves the plot hanging at the end so that you have to read the next book. So I will read the last in the series because inquiring minds want to know what happens next!

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Morgan Llyweln does a fantastic job of weaving her fictional characters into the history of Ireland. This is the fourth book of this historical fiction series, which chronicles the struggle for Ireland's independence and then her subsequent struggle to reunite the northern 6 counties with the Republic. The amount of history woven into her novels is amazing and at times a bit staggering. However, you will come away with a more thorough understanding of the culture and history of Ireland as well as where event fit into world events, as well. I highly recommend this series.

A friend recommended this series to me as we traveled to Ireland last summer. It enhanced our trip greatly as I had a better understanding of what took place on the streets we traveled and a greater respect for those who lived through these times.

[Kevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

You know you have enjoyed a good book when you keep turning pages looking for more! This is a sad story, the invasion of Ireland by the British and the absolute cruelty inflicted! History is written by the victors, the British were masters of propaganda as they continued to brutalize the Irish people in the north into the 70s and beyond. War crimes against humanity. This book is well researched and written. a novel that is honest and reasonably well written.

[Ella · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the fourth part of this series, as I did with all of it's predecessors.

I just really love Barry, even though he is definitely flawed or even problematic at times, but I found him to be incredibly charming and I cared a great deal about him. However, it was difficult at times to keep in mind that Barry is not Ned.
Ursula is less likeable in this book than she was in the third, but admittetly, she did play a rather small role in this book.
Barbara was difficult for me - she really is a mess at first. But I liked her character development, even though things went a bit fast at the end.
Séamus McCoy was hilarious. i loved him.

The story seems to be well-researched, but I am not an expert on Irish history, so I can't really comment on that. It really drew me in, though, and I was glued to the pages. Like the other three books, it is a roller-coaster of funny, charming and heartwarming, and despair and devastation.

Now I really need to find a copy of 1999 - sadly, I was unsuccessfull in finding it online.

Trigger warnings:
terrorism, death, explosions, mention of sexual assault, limb loss, blood, police brutality, gun violence, racism, use of n-word by white people

[Avis Ross · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have a real interest in Irish history and have read this series of novels. I was sorry to reach the end of them. I found the writing style engaging and there was no lack of characters to include. Even when the author described a well-known situation, I often found something in this series that was new to me. Some characters I didn't like throughout but there were gems mixed in with this lot. If you have lived through the years from 1972 and kept up with the news regarding the struggles, I think you would really enjoy reading the last two books, which might entice you to start with the 1st book and read through the series. I would recommend them highly.

[Beverly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fourth in the Irish Century series this novel follows Barry Halloran as he navigates the stormy waters of the Troubled in Northern Ireland. I’ve read a few no -fiction books about the subject and author Llywelen, although she writes with a Nationalist slant, does a wonderful job weaving actual historical facts with her fictional Halloran family.

The plot wasn’t quite as interesting as her other novels and it was difficult to relive the sadness and madness of those times. I did appreciate her showing how most of the violence and killing was done by Loyalist paramilitary forces or by the British government, a fact most are unaware of.

[Colleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a find this was in a fabulous little bookstore in Galway, used for just €5. I may have to track down the rest of the series, definitely the 1999 one. It was one of the most compelling historical fiction books I have read in a long time. Following a young man through his path to find himself, in rural 1950s Ireland is compelling. Although he is raised in the Republic, his family has long been active in trying to unite all 32 counties, so there is constant crossover to Northern Ireland. Adding historical context through news headlines from other parts of the world helps to add contrast to what is considered a developed nation essentially enforcing apartheid based on religion.

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Main character is Barry, Ned's grandson. At the start he joins in the fighting, but seeing his fried die and seeing someone he shot die, he turns to non killing activities. He eventually becomes a photo journalist. The book really shows the treatment and violence against Catholics in Northern Ireland and how complicit the English were. Barry tries to fight with pictures to show the world what is happening. At the end after seeing a particularly violent attack on peaceful demonstrators he cracks.

[TiffanyLamp · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is hard to find words to describe a book that I truly like. My mind races to share something but everything wants to come out at once and I just don't think anyone, myself included, is ready for that. There is also a feeling of inadequacy in describing a narrative so beautifully written that keeps me from expressing my true opinion. I am deeply moved by this series. I look forward to reading the final book.

[Mairo Dilworth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Continuing the meticulously researched story of Ireland in the 20th century. A fascinating and sobering insight into the formation of the UDA, UDR and Provisional IRA against the backdrop of the start of the Troubles. Highly recommended reading for anyone with an interest in Irish history and/or politics.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful book as always. This is a fabulous series and I can't wait to start the last book. The characters are complex and fascinating, Ms Llywelyn always explores Irish history in an interresting and understandable way. I am never disappointed in her books.

[Shaun Deane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very consistent execution for #4 in the series. I thought for sure that this one, given my familiarity with events as they were unfolding, would be my favorite but the Easter Rising (1916) really holds up. One more to go. This has been great fun.

[Ally · Rating 3 out of 5]

Morgan Llywelyn is a fabulous writer, and I have enjoyed every book in this series. This happened to be my least favourite, and I may stand alone in that opinion. I feel it lacked the storyline and character development of the preceding novels.

[Christine L Walsh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wish there was a book 5

This history of Ireland's political struggles and grief is very informational and saddening. Bringing the results of so many battles and hope for a better future to light through a conclusive book 5 would bring the truth forward.

[Viola Russell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this saga of the Halloran family! From the moment I read "1916" years ago, I was hooked, and the story and the characters just get better and better! This is the beautiful and tragic story of Ireland!

[Tom Garland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book 4 of her historical fiction of the Halloran family and the road to Modern Independence. 1916, 1923, 1949, and 1972 were really great. Next up 1999 the final book.

[Frances Littell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ireland and Northern Ireland during the troubles - very well written.

[Rosemary Salisbury · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good

Interesting fictional account of very interesting history. I look forward to continuing on with the next book in the series.

[Bob Barker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Each book gets better and better. I love the history and the fictional story lines wrapped up in it. Wonderful stuff!!!

[JP · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great addition to the ongoing story.

[Mary Jo · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was the slowest of the 4 novels of the Irish Century. Series. It ends quite abruptly without conclusion or commentary about the future.

[Judy Brennan · Rating 5 out of 5]

great read!

Full of Irish history and culture eloquently told through the hopes and fears of the story protagonists. I can’t wait to read 1999, the last of the series.

[Gary Fawcett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another cracking book in the series.

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

The saga continues. I am loving the fiction intertwined with the events of Ireland's past.

[Markod0101 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Listened on Audible.

Nice story, perhaps lacking in action until later in the novel, but a good snapshot of time and sets up the next novel beautifully.