The Path to Freedom

Published to coincide with the upcoming film biography starring Liam Neeson, Julia Roberts, and Stephen Rea, The Path to Freedom contains the only published work of the Irish hero who was, for a time, the most wanted man in the British Empire: "the man they couldn't catch." In 1921, the thirty-year-old Collins negotiated with the British and signed the Anglo-Irish Treaty, eventually leading to the creation of the Republic of Ireland.

Collins (1890-1922) is generally recognized as the architect of the Irish Republic. Between 1920 and 1922 he would wipe out the entire British Secret Service in Ireland (while having a #10,000 bounty on his head), finance the new Irish state, negotiate the treaty leading to the eventual establishment of the Republic, and finally be assassinated himself during the Irish Civil War. The inventor of modern guerrilla warfare, his methods have been studied by leaders such as Mao Tse-Tung and former Israeli prime minister Yitzakh Shamir. In this collection of notes Collins is straightforward in his assessments: he chides Eamon de Valera for abandoning the new Irish Free State and justifies his severe actions in putting down resistance at the Four Courts in the beginning of the Civil War. His terrorism notwithstanding, Collins comes across as a true democrat, a man who believes in law and the Celtic tradition. He states bluntly that he "did not sign the Treaty [with Britain] under duress" and in a spirited defense of the Treaty makes the point that the Irish Free State enjoyed the same dominion status as Canada, which was also an independent nation. His comments on North Ireland are blunt: "union is certain. The only question for North-East Ulster is-How soon?" There are also some interesting deflating comments about Lloyd George and Woodrow Wilson. Coogan, Collins's biographer, has written a focused introduction.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Soldier and revolutionary democrat Collins (1890-1922) was a primary figure in modern Irish history. This collection, previously published in Ireland, contains some of the articles and speeches he wrote some time after 1920 to promote the Anglo-Irish Treaty, support of which cost Collins his life. Collins makes use of plain, simple language in order to convey the common sense of his subject to his audience. That said, and admitting the usefulness of this collection, there are problems here. Collins himself receives only a brief introduction, and opening remarks by an editor for each article would have made this book a more useful tool for serious students of the subject. For large Irish collections or where there is demand.?Robert A. Curtis, Taylor Memorial P.L., Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.