The Irish War of Independence - Softcover

Hopkinson, Michael

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0773528407 ISBN 13: 9780773528406

Publisher: McGill-Queen's University Press, 2004

Synopsis

The war was prosecuted ruthlessly by the Irish Republican Army which, paralleling the political efforts of Sinn Féin, hoped to break Britain's will to rule Ireland and create an independent Irish republic. The British retaliated by introducing two new irregular forces into Ireland, the Black and Tans and the Auxiliaries. Fighting took place principally in counties Cork, Limerick, Tipperary, Monaghan, Armagh, Clare, Kerry, and Longford. It was sporadic but vicious, with fewer than 2,000 IRA volunteers facing over 50,000 crown forces. The IRA depended upon energetic local leaders -- where there were none, there was little fighting.

About this title

About the Author:

Dr Michael Hopkinson was a reader in History at Stirling University in Scotland. One of the world's leading authorities on the Irish revolutionary period, he is also the author of Green Against Green: The Irish in the Civil War.

From Publishers Weekly:

Historian Hopkinson (Green Against Green) has written an all-encompassing account of the Irish War of Independence (1919-1921), covering military, diplomatic and political issues. As Hopkinson points out, the war was largely one of tit-for-tat reprisal killings between the IRA and local police until the British brought in the Black and Tans, and the violence escalated to bloody guerrilla warfare. Hopkinson devotes a large part of the book to a localized, county-by-county recounting of the war: Dublin and Cork witnessed loads of violence, for instance, while Galway saw almost none. Hopkinson also describes at length how Michael Collins defeated the British through the use of informers and spies. As the author makes clear, the war could have ended in 1920, but a crucial diplomatic opportunity was lost. Hopkinson really knows his sources, using diaries and government documents to show how the British moved from a policy of coercion to one of negotiation. Indeed, the book's strongest point is its exploration of the behind-the-scenes shifts in British policy. Hopkinson's breadth is also impressive, as can be seen from his exploration of the American aspect of the war (the U.S. was a source of funds and weapons for the Irish. Indeed, Sinn Fein leader Eamon de Valera spent most of the war in the U.S. raising money and seeking American recognition). All in all, this is an exhaustive, if sometimes dry, account that should appeal to those interested in modern Irish history.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: McGill-Queen's University Press
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 0773528407
• ISBN 13: 9780773528406
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 400