book recomendations?
I'm new to the board and I'm not very well read on Irish history, would people be able to give me some book recomendations? I never know what titles to get and so far randomly picking books up from the library alot of the time they are written from a totally Free State point of view. I'm reading 'The Secret Army' at the moment but it only covers till early 80's; any recomendations for a book on the IRA that covers the 80's to the present? Also looking for a good general Irish history book that covers the time from the civil war to present day... or a few different books that together cover that time? thanks

Don´t know it is much use to you but you should definitely read Blanketmen by Richard O´Rawe... I just bought it and read it... He was apparently the PRO of the blanketmen during the hunger-strike... It turns a bit provo in the end but it´s a good read :wink:

A good place to start is "Ireland Since The Famine" by FSL Lyons. This was a textbook when I was in school. Probably still is.

Blanketmen is full of lies. Armed Struggle - a history of the IRA, Tom Barry - IRA Freedom Fighter -Meda Ryan.

A must for all republicans is the Laim Lynch the real Chief by meda Ryan, it gets the blood boiling though.

The IRA by T.P. Coogan. Ireland in the Twentieth Century by Dermot Keogh. Ireland 1912-1985 by J.J. Lee. De Valera The Man and the Myth by T. Ryle Dwyer. All of these are general overviews of independent Ireland and it’s organisations. Tom Barry - IRA Freedom Fighter -Meda Ryan. I heard this is very anti-Barry is that true?

A Secret History of the IRA by Ed Moloney Ten Men Dead by David Beresford My Fight for Irish Freedom by Dan Breen Eyewitness Bloody Sunday by Don Mullan The Committee: Political Assassination in Northern Ireland by Sean McPhilemy The IRA by Tim Pat Coogan Unfinished Business: State Killings and the Quest for Truth by Bill Rolston The Stalker Affair by John Stalker Rebels: the Irish Rising of 1916 by Peter de Rosa Outlines in Irish History: Eight Hundred Years of Struggle by Seamus P. Metress Last Words by Piaras F. Mac Lochlainn Anyone read Richard English's The History of the IRA? I'm just about to start that.

I heard this is very anti-Barry is that true? Nope, infact it's the opposite. English's book is great.

I'll post it here in case anyone else wants to try and hunt it down. The ISBN is 0707601010. That is almost always the best way to find a book. I just found it on amazon.com, alibris.com, and readireland.ie. It didn't come up on bn.com.

Thank you :)

Some additions to the list: Revolutionary in Ireland (AKA:) Memoirs of a Revolutionary by Seán Mac Stíofáin (Autobiography of the first Chief of Staff of the Provisional IRA) The Story of The Irish Race by Seumas Mac Manus (Self explanatory, ends around the time of the Treaty of '21 if I remember correctly) Principles of Freedom by Terence Mac Swiney (This book is available for reading for free online, click here) The American Connection by Jack Holland (A book about the connection of Irish Republicans in the U.S. and Ireland primarily in the 60's-80's, a lot about gun running) Dílseacht — the story of Comdt-General Tom Maguire and the Second All-Ireland Dáil by Ruairí Ó Brádaigh (An easy to read biography with loads of great information and history, plus fantastic pictures and scans) Accepting The Challenge - The Memoirs of Michael Flannery edited by Dermot O' Reilly (The autobiography of an IRA volunteer who helped re-establish the Irish Republican Movement in the U.S.A. and made it more successful than ever before) Republican Voices edited by Kevin Bean & Mark Hayes (Republicanism as told by Republican former Prisoners of War. Deals primarily with the 70's-90's) Unmanageable Revolutionaries by Margaret Ward (A great introduction to the history of Female Republicans)

Fitz and Saer recomended most of the good books there but i seriously recomend reading the brilliant Joe Cahill-A Life In The IRA it's an amazing book from a Republican legend (RIP)