ISBN: ; 0141012161 SB 442 pp
Published by Penguin.
In his preface, the author identifies the absence for over eighty years of a
truly academic work on the events surrounding the Easter Rebellion in
Whilst this book has very high standards in presenting the information, this is
no “high brow” work intended only for the few. It is very readable indeed, and
the opening three chapters on “Revolutionism”, “The Militarization of Politics”
and “
The student and researcher will in reading this book, find new gems of insight
that will add to the understanding of the rebellion. The clarity of writing
style and explanation of the political dynamics both inside and outside
For the serious student of Irish history this is a long overdue book and it
expands insights and background which have until now been diluted over many
worthy books by other authors.
However the general reader must not be discouraged by what appears from the
preface and the author’s self proclaimed intention, of producing a definitive
work on the subject. This can imply it will be academic and therefore tough
going but nothing could be further from the truth. It is highly recommended.
As with all books on the 1916 rebellion, keep a large scale city map of
Reviewer: Mike McCarthy
