Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie

1916 Books

Options
  • 25-03-2009 1:31pm
    #1
    ateam
    Closed Accounts Posts: 986 ✭✭✭


    Does anyone know any specific books on the 1916 Rising that takes a negative view of the event ie..They do not glorify the event or the leaders and they may criticise the event itself, they might be home rule supporters. Any help will be greatly appreciated, thanks.


Comments

  • Options
    #2
    mikemac
    Closed Accounts Posts: 19,986 ✭✭✭✭mikemac


    I don't know books but I downloaded this podcast series from RTE
    Speaking ill of the dead

    A journalist/writer picks one charecther from history and savages their reputation.
    A few leaders from 1916 are there among others

    I recommend it and do listen to more history podcasts the read books


  • Options
    #3
    walrusgumble
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 3,062 ✭✭✭walrusgumble


    in or about easter 2005ish, the sunday indendepent had a number of articles on easter sunday, eoghan harris (surprise surprise) was leading contributor, there was also an article of the so called attempts to have king williem of germany recongnise as king of ireland.


  • Options
    #4
    dubtom
    Registered Users Posts: 3,084 ✭✭✭dubtom


    I read recently the bio of Garreth Fitzgerald's father Desmond,called Desmonds rising. Although it includes quite a bit of the personal journey of himself leading up to the day it does go into some detail of what actually happened inside the GPO. I wouldn't say it is overly critical of the event or leaders,although it does state that although there were some great leaders of men in their own way,none of them were soldiers. I think they all realised after a day or so that strategically taking the GPO was a bad idea. Actually I think Connelly knew before he went in that he wouldn't survive. You might find it difficult finding a book with a negative view except perhaps one that deals with soldiering.


  • Options
    #5
    MarchDub
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,731 ✭✭✭MarchDub


    ateam wrote: »
    Does anyone know any specific books on the 1916 Rising that takes a negative view of the event ie..They do not glorify the event or the leaders and they may criticise the event itself, they might be home rule supporters. Any help will be greatly appreciated, thanks.

    Don't know why you think you have to dig deep to find this. You could pick out any of the "revisionist" history books published in the 80s and 90s - Roy Foster for one in a leading role, and Conor Cruise O'Brien - and find what you are looking for. These writers took on an apologist role as regards 1916 and indeed, all of Irish history. In essence, they claimed, there were no true Irish "heroes" in Ireland's history, just misguided paladins.

    In fact, there was nothing new in what they wrote - just the same old British view of Ireland as the Irish being unable to appreciate a good thing [British rule in Ireland] when they see it.


  • Options
    #6
    Denerick
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 6,488 ✭✭✭Denerick


    Thats such nonsense. Before 1916 we had a constitutional nationalist movement happening. It shouldn't be a surprise that many sympathise with that movement more than with the 1916 'heroes' and all the rest of the mythology associated with that week.


  • Advertisement
  • Options
    #7
    walrusgumble
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 3,062 ✭✭✭walrusgumble


    MarchDub wrote: »
    Don't know why you think you have to dig deep to find this. You could pick out any of the "revisionist" history books published in the 80s and 90s - Roy Foster for one in a leading role, and Conor Cruise O'Brien - and find what you are looking for. These writers took on an apologist role as regards 1916 and indeed, all of Irish history. In essence, they claimed, there were no true Irish "heroes" in Ireland's history, just misguided paladins.

    In fact, there was nothing new in what they wrote - just the same old British view of Ireland as the Irish being unable to appreciate a good thing [British rule in Ireland] when they see it.

    Tim Pat Coogan brought out a book specifically dealing with 1916, written in the 1960's


Advertisement