Bertie Ahern: The Autobiography

by Bertie Ahern

Bertie Ahern, three times Irish Taoiseach, is often described as an enigma. He is credited for delivering peace to Northern Ireland as well as ushering in a more progressive, cosmopolitan secular state, yet he is still one of the most polarizing and contentious men in political history. Now, in this frank and revealing autobiography, he discloses for the first time what really happened during his final weeks in power, as well as the toll that having his life—triumphs and scandals alike—played out in the public sphere took on his family and personal life. An ardent nationalist admired by European leaders, Ahern is undoubtedly an indelible presence in Irish history for the role he played in the negotiation of the Belfast agreement, his work with Bill Clinton and Tony Blair on the Good Friday agreement, and his presidency of the European Council in 2004. Here, for the first time, is the truth behind the man who is Bertie.

Genres: Irish Literature

372 pages, Hardcover

First published October 13, 2009

Reviews

[Differengenera · Rating 3 out of 5]

Obviously completely self-serving, shallow, not even that great for gossippy ephemera I was looking for.

-calls the Albert Reynolds midlands cohort who deposed Haughey 'the country and western set'
-forgot Brian Lenihan got the most first preferences in the presidential and that it was Curries' transfers that got Robinson through

[Daniel O'Brien · Rating 2 out of 5]

Probably best enjoyed as an easy to read overview of Irish politics between the late 70s and late 2000s, albeit with plenty left out. He gives as much time to his career pre-becoming Taoiseach as post. There is plenty on the North and the achievements of the 2004 EU Presidency, understandably, but not much in the way of interesting anecdote. Bertie portrays himself as the dignified, hard working everyman. He is happy to talk about how he built his base in Dublin Central, but less so about he rose to power within Fianna Fail. A pleasant enough read.

[Ronan O'Sullivan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked the book. I thought it was told well. I do think it was selective about what was mentioned. For example the Bertie bowl was not even mentioned in it. I think this book gave a good view into the story Bertie wanted to tell. It didn’t really delve into details of any of the discussions in his career that I would have hoped to learn but just gave an overview of some of the subject matter that would have been discussed.

[Colin McCabe · Rating 3 out of 5]

An easy breeze through Irish politics from the eighties through to the early 2000’s. Enjoyable but lots left out. No details about the famous win on the horses or the activities in the Fianna Fáil tent. Was he “the most devious and craftiest of them all”? Well you won’t find out here.

[Anthony Graham · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great insight into events in "The North", though a lot of it focused on down south politics and was quite boring.

[Mogue Lawless · Rating 2 out of 5]

Arguably one except for the hilarious wikipedia-esque format.