Historical and Political Musings
The Anglo-Irish conflict, like many asymmetrical conflicts, can be confusing because of the vast amount of people and organizations involved. I have often wished there was a simple chart that I could refer to as I am reading about the conflict, so I made my own. The first chart is of the various political and… Continue reading The Organizations Involved in Easter Rising and the Anglo-Irish War
Book Review of Richard Mulcahy from the Politics of War to the Politics of Peace 1913-1924 by Padraig O Caoimh, Irish Academic Press 2019 Rating: 4.5/5 Pros: A long overdue biography on a vital founder of the Irish Free State and Irish Army Rich analysis that is easy to read Provides needed context on the… Continue reading Book Review of Richard Mulcahy from the Politics of War to the Politics of Peace 1913-1924
Thursday and Friday were some of the bloodiest days during Easter Rising. Cathal Brugha made a brilliant stand on Thursday, during the famous battle for South Dublin Union and Daly held the British forces at the Four Courts from Wednesday to Friday. Most importantly, Commander-in-chief General Sir John Maxwell arrived in Ireland on Friday. General… Continue reading Easter Rising: Surrender and Legacy
As we discussed in our last post, the very secrecy needed to plan the rebellion nearly destroyed it. Despite Casement’s arrested and MacNeill’s counter-orders, Pearse and his comrades were determined to rebel. They sent out another order, telling the Volunteers to gather on Monday, 24 April 1916. A Republic is Pronounced When the Rising began… Continue reading Easter Rising: Monday
I’m writing this a little later than I wanted, but I am finally discussing the second half of de Valera’s life. My post discussing his contribution to the Anglo-Irish war and Irish Civil War can be found here. When the civil war ended, de Valera was in the political wilderness. He realized that he could… Continue reading Eamon de Valera Part II
Portrait of a Revolutionary General Richard Mulcahy and the Founding of the Irish Free State by Maryann Valiulis Published in 1992 by University Press of Kentucky Richard Mulcahy is a criminally underappreciated Irishmen. Born in the 1890s and starting his career as a postal worker, he would eventually study to become an engineer, before taking… Continue reading Book Review: Portrait of a Revolutionary
Easter 1916 the Irish Rebellion by Charles Townshend. Published in 2015 by Penguin I’m going to start this review with a warning: Charles Townshend is one of my favorite historians. I have read few historians who can take complicated messes and break them down into short, easy to understand chapters within a chapter, while also… Continue reading Book Review: Easter 1916 the Irish Rebellion
There are few men who participated in the Anglo-Irish War and the Irish Civil War who have as complicated a legacy as Eamon de Valera. He was a mathematics professor, last man to surrender during Easter Rising, leader of the Dáil and the IRA, instigator of the anti-treaty movement, political outcast, and Taoiseach, and, finally,… Continue reading Eamon de Valera Part I
Eamon de Valera: A Will to Power by Ronan Fanning. Published in 2015 by Faber & Faber Because of his many controversial decisions made during the rebellion, civil war, and his long presidency, it is hard to find an objective biography on Eamon de Valera. However, Fanning’s biography is the fairest and kindest book I’ve… Continue reading Book Review Eamon de Valera: A Will to Power
