James Fallon Inconvenient truths.

(Rating 5 of 5)

I though that this book was an excellent introduction to the Irish War of Independence.

Cottrell points out the inconvenient fact that the Anglo-Irish War was in many ways a civil war between Irishmen who had radically different views of how Ireland should be governed. On one side the Nationalist-Republicans wanted a complete break from the United Kingdom whilst on the other, Nationalists as well as Unionists fought to preserve the union and membership of the UK.

It is far too simplistic to view the war as a colonial struggle for liberation as Ireland was an integral part of the UK on a par with England, Scotland and Wales. Both sides contained Irish Catholics as well as Protestants and the war divided political opinion on both sides of the Irish sea.

Overall the account tries to give a balanced and neutral account of the war, highlighting the good and bad on both sides.

This book challenges many of the Nationalist myths that have grown out of the conflict and will, I have no doubt, upset many people who have come to accept the black and white steroetypical view of it. Ultimately history is usually written by the victors and the Irish-Nationalist version of events has been accepted, almost without challenge, for too long.

Interestingly he highlights that the Royal Irish Constabulary bore the brunt of the fighting for the Crown whilst the IRA did not have the unequivocal support of the Irish population for their struggle and that the 'Black and Tans' and RIC Auxiliaries were quite how they are remembered in Ireland.

Quite rightly he also tries to show that there was a British element to this conflict that has largely been ignored by both the British and Irish until quite recently.

I thoroughly recommend this book. (The Anglo-Irish War: The Troubles of 1913-1922)

The Anglo-Irish War: The Troubles of 1913-1922 (Essential Histories S.)

The Anglo-Irish War: The Troubles of 1913-1922