Books about the IRA

r3nu4l

I'm posting this here as my query has a better chance of being answered by someone who knows their history than if it was placed in the Literature forum.

I'm looking for a good book about the IRA, their history and politics. Not an 'up the RA' book and not a 'Terrorist scumbags' book, just something that gives the history in as unbiased a manner as possible and covering their initial formation, and the early and modern history of the organisation.

Is Tim Pat Coogans "The IRA" any good? What else should I look for? Thanks in advance.

biko

Joe Cahill - A Life in the IRA
by Brendan Anderson

Joe Cahilll helped found the modern IRA. Many Republicans had long considered him a legend after his 1942 reprieve from the death sentence for the killing of a policeman. In the 1970s he was jailed again for organising the IRA’s first shipment of Libyan arms. In later years he became a crucial symbol of the political strategy, appearing at key Sinn Fein rallies, symbolising the old guard’s blessing for new leadership's political strategy.

BBC chronology http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/static/in_depth/northern_ireland/2001/provisional_ira/default.stm

r3nu4l

Thanks biko, I've actually read it I've also read Dan Breen's "My fight for Irish Freedom" in case anyone is thinking of suggesting that.

I'm not looking for a personal account or single individual biography, more an outsiders compilation of history through interviews, research etc.

biko

Perhaps
A History of Northern Ireland 1920-1996
by Thomas Hennessey

Maybe this can help too, besides the BBC link above
http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/index.html
Conflict and Politics in Northern Ireland (1968 to the Present)

McArmalite

r3nu4l wrote: »

I'm posting this here as my query has a better chance of being answered by someone who knows their history than if it was placed in the Literature forum.

I'm looking for a good book about the IRA, their history and politics. Not an 'up the RA' book and not a 'Terrorist scumbags' book, just something that gives the history in as unbiased a manner as possible and covering their initial formation, and the early and modern history of the organisation.

Is Tim Pat Coogans "The IRA" any good? What else should I look for? Thanks in advance.

Yeah Tim Pat Coogans "The IRA" is undoubtably the best, most unbiased book published on the IRA. The rest of them are only rubbish, sterotype IRA men eating babies, etc. PThe chapters on the IRA in Belfast during the 'peaceful' times of the late 20's and 30's and early 40's is very good. Nightly attacks and murders by the RUC and B Specials thrawted by literally a handful of men, Jimmy Steele, Billy McKee, Jimmy Drumm, Eoin McNamee and literally no more than a dozen or two others.

Another good book that relates to the IRA is 10 men dead by Guardian journalist David Beresford. Definetly worth a read.

boneless

Although I admire Coogans work I would not call it unbiased. It is a fine assemblage of the main issues up to present but there is, in my opinion, a Republican bias throughout but at least TP Coogan admits this. Unlike some of the revisionist historians who are a bit too "holy than thou" in attitudes.

I personally read all sides and all slants and try to make up my own mind. Martin Dillon has written some good journalistic works on different aspects of the struggle in Ireland from '69 on; mainly to do with secret and covert ops against the IRA and Loyalist groups and some very informative works on individuals such as Michael Stone and Joe Doherty. They have very useful background information in them.

eroo

'Bandit Country' by Toby Harnden.its a good book on the south armagh brigade,and thankfully is not full of Republican propaganda as it was written by a journalist for the times who was NI correspondent for 5 years.also,it can be scathing of both IRA AND British...good read

Shutuplaura

A former member of the IRA I know told me that from his point of view The Secret Army by a bloke called Bell I believe was the most accurate. I believe he was an american so it sould be pretty objective.

I also personally really liked A Secret History of the IRA. Republicans don't like it for some reason but I think its a good read.

r3nu4l

Some good suggestions in there people, thanks. The hardest thing of all is pobably going to be finding a book written by someone who didn't have an agenda or whom at least knew the potential for bias in their work and worked hard to remove it.

I'm not so sure about one or two of the suggestions above but I'll research them anyway.

donaghs

I thought the "Secret History" was the best I've read. Lots of behind the scenes politicking which some may find boring. One criticism I'd have of it is that I'd like if there was more information on the early days of troubles like the burning out of houses in Bombay Street 1969, and the defence of St Matthew's Church in the Short Strand in 1970. Both crucial in the birth of the Provo's.

I think the reason a lot of Provo-sympathisers didn't like it is because it suggests that their were British spies at the very top level of the Provo's, something we now know to be true. But Moloney also seems to make very subtle allusions to the idea that Gerry Adams may have been some sort of spy himself.

r3nu4l

I love behind the scenes politicking I enjoyed Fergus Finlays "Snakes and Ladders" a lot

I might do a bit of research on those books so.

McArmalite

Shutuplaura wrote: »

A former member of the IRA I know told me that from his point of view The Secret Army by a bloke called Bell I believe was the most accurate. I believe he was an american so it sould be pretty objective.

I also personally really liked A Secret History of the IRA. Republicans don't like it for some reason but I think its a good read.

donaghs wrote: »

I thought the "Secret History" was the best I've read. Lots of behind the scenes politicking which some may find boring. One criticism I'd have of it is that I'd like if there was more information on the early days of troubles like the burning out of houses in Bombay Street 1969, and the defence of St Matthew's Church in the Short Strand in 1970. Both crucial in the birth of the Provo's.

I think the reason a lot of Provo-sympathisers didn't like it is because it suggests that their were British spies at the very top level of the Provo's, something we now know to be true. But Moloney also seems to make very subtle allusions to the idea that Gerry Adams may have been some sort of spy himself.

The Secret Army by J Bowyer Bell was also a book I was going to recommend. Tim Pat Coogan recommended it as an alternative to his own, goes into quite detail on the IRA in the 30's, 40's etc. Bell is a Professor from America. Only shortcoming is it only goes up to 1979 I think. One of the reasons I would recommend both books is because of the detail and accuracy is both so good with them. You can sense both men got to talk directly to those invovled and not relie or hearsay or newspaper reports from the archives etc.

Ed Moloney's Secret history is just hearsay and conspiracy theory stuff, Steaknife, MI5 having the Provos infiltrated from top to bottom etc. Read it and you can see for yourself that unlike Coogan and Bell, it's 2nd hand knowledge dressed up with conspiracy theories. If the brits were so on top of the Provos, do you think they would have allowed the Provos to blow billions of pounds worth of damage to the center of London a few times, and Manchester also. Wouldn't it have been a big swoop for them to catch them in preparation ?

boneless

McArmalite wrote: »

The Secret Army by J Bowyer Bell was also a book I was going to recommend. Tim Pat Coogan recommended it as an alternative to his own, goes into quite detail on the IRA in the 30's, 40's etc. Bell is a Professor from America. Only shortcoming is it only goes up to 1979 I think. One of the reasons I would recommend both books is because of the detail and accuracy is both so good with them. You can sense both men got to talk directly to those invovled and not relie or hearsay or newspaper reports from the archives etc.

Ed Moloney's Secret history is just hearsay and conspiracy theory stuff, Steaknife, MI5 having the Provos infiltrated from top to bottom etc. Read it and you can see for yourself that unlike Coogan and Bell, it's 2nd hand knowledge dressed up with conspiracy theories. If the brits were so on top of the Provos, do you think they would have allowed the Provos to blow billions of pounds worth of damage to the center of London a few times, and Manchester also. Wouldn't it have been a big swoop for them to catch them in preparation ?

Ah but then they wouldn't have had a big bogey man to point at to justify their huge defence and security budgets!! As it is there are still elements in the security services trying to destabilise the peace process.

Oh, and on topic, I recommend Bower Bell too. It's a pity he didn't live long enough to update his work as TP Coogan did.There is a goob work by a priest on the SAS in Ireland too. Can't remember off-hand what his name is.

Mr Magnolia

McArmalite wrote: »

Yeah Tim Pat Coogans "The IRA" is undoubtably the best, most unbiased book published on the IRA. The rest of them are only rubbish, sterotype IRA men eating babies, etc. PThe chapters on the IRA in Belfast during the 'peaceful' times of the late 20's and 30's and early 40's is very good. Nightly attacks and murders by the RUC and B Specials thrawted by literally a handful of men, Jimmy Steele, Billy McKee, Jimmy Drumm, Eoin McNamee and literally no more than a dozen or two others.
.

Thanks for the reccomendation. I'm going to order this one myself



Aside/ I really enjoyed Blanket Men, a book on life in jail for the Hunger Strikers.


Edit/ Just seen the cover and I think it's in my home house. *Sets reminder*

McArmalite

boneless wrote: »

Ah but then they wouldn't have had a big bogey man to point at to justify their huge defence and security budgets!! As it is there are still elements in the security services trying to destabilise the peace process.

Oh, and on topic, I recommend Bower Bell too. It's a pity he didn't live long enough to update his work as TP Coogan did.There is a goob work by a priest on the SAS in Ireland too. Can't remember off-hand what his name is.

Raymond Murray - The SAS in Ireland. I think he left the priesthood. Yeah it's a good read. As far as I know, Raymond Murray investigated RUC/British army murders in the north for various international bodies, British-Irish Rights Watch etc. It's written in a clinical investigative manner and not the usual James Bond style, " one flick of the wrist and all the enemy are dead " rubbish that the vast majority of books concerning the SAS are written in.

One of the interesting things I found about it was that the number of confrontations between the Provos and the SAS were very, very, rare and though their was a few deliberate traps and ambushes set for each other, it often happened more by chance than any great millitary planning by either side. But where it kicked off unexpectedly, the Provos usually came out on top. I suppose you'll have enough to read for a while anyway with Tim Pat Coogan or Bower Bell.

26dublin

Provos,the I.R.A and sinn fein by peter taylor has all u need.