- Paperback: 576 pages
- Publisher: Coronet; New Ed edition (6 July 2000)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0340717378
- ISBN-13: 978-0340717370
- Product Dimensions: 17.3 x 10.7 x 4.1 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 256,183 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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More About the Author
Product Description
Product Description
'Tremendous ... If you are to read only one book about the modern IRA, this should be it'
Irish Times
South Armagh was described as 'Bandit Country' by Merlyn Rees when he was Northern Ireland Secretary and for nearly three decades it has been the most dangerous posting in the world for a British soldier.
Toby Harnden has stripped away the myth and propaganda associated with South Armagh to produce one of the most compelling and important books of the Troubles. Drawing on secret documents and interviews in South Armagh's recent history, he tells the inside story of how the IRA came close to bringing the British state to its knees. For the first time, the identities of the men behind the South Quay and Manchester bombings are revealed. Packed with new information, 'BANDIT COUNTRY' penetrates the IRA and the security forces in South Armagh.
Irish Times
South Armagh was described as 'Bandit Country' by Merlyn Rees when he was Northern Ireland Secretary and for nearly three decades it has been the most dangerous posting in the world for a British soldier.
Toby Harnden has stripped away the myth and propaganda associated with South Armagh to produce one of the most compelling and important books of the Troubles. Drawing on secret documents and interviews in South Armagh's recent history, he tells the inside story of how the IRA came close to bringing the British state to its knees. For the first time, the identities of the men behind the South Quay and Manchester bombings are revealed. Packed with new information, 'BANDIT COUNTRY' penetrates the IRA and the security forces in South Armagh.
From the Author
A terrifying and intimate portrait of the IRA's heartland
I have attempted to strip away the myth and propaganda of both sides to produce what I hope will be recognised as one of the most compelling and important books of the Troubles. During four years as a journalist working in Northern Ireland, I carried out interviews with members of the IRA, RUC, Irish police and British Army (including SAS), building up an intimate picture of the IRA in South Armagh from the protagonists themselves. I also had access to secret Army and RUC documents which contained previously-undisclosed details of undercover operations. The book links the IRA's success during the Troubles to the history of lawlessness and rebellion in the area - which is referred to by republican's as "God's Country". The reader will find out the identities of the IRA men who bombed England in the 1990s (the Docklands, Baltic Exchange, Bishopsgate and Manchester bombs were all mixed in barns in South Armagh before being transported across the Irish Sea on ferries of by freight). My aim was to provide answers to a series of questions: Why is South Armagh such a place apart? What sort of people have joined the IRA and how do they live their lives? What has driven these men to the point where the end will justify any means? What has it been like for the outsider to be pitted against such men? Why has the South Armagh Brigade been consistently more effective than the IRA in any other area? What has been the human cost of this fight for Irish freedom? Very few books about the Troubles focus on an area and bring the conflict down to the level of families, farmhouses and fields. I have not spared the reader the horrors of what has happened and there are pictures of bodies and the aftermath of incidents that some people might find distressing.The full story of the death of Captain Robert Nairac, an undercover Army officer, is told. There is also an account of how the SAS captured the IRA's elite sniper unit in April 1997. There are chapters on arms buying in America, the interrogations of informers, sniper attacks, bombs in England, Thomas 'Slab' Murphy. Among the important new stories contained in the book is the tale of how an Irish police officer working for the IRA betrayed the most senior RUC officer to be killed during the Troubles. But there are also details of how loyalist paramilitaries were assisted by RUC members - I want this book to be read by both 'sides' in the conflict rather than seen as a polemical work pushing a particular political agenda. I believe that on of its overall strengths is the amount of new detail contained throughout - the book is not just a collection of what is already in the public domain. It is also written in an accessible way, aimed not just at the Northern Ireland aficionado but also at the general reader who wants to find out what the IRA is about. What more can I say? If you buy this book (which is 400 pages plus and 16 pages of pictures for just £9.99 - £7.99 from Amazon)then I can say with my hand on my heart that you will not be disappointed. I welcome communication by email from any readers or potential readers. I now work in Washington DC. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
I have attempted to strip away the myth and propaganda of both sides to produce what I hope will be recognised as one of the most compelling and important books of the Troubles. During four years as a journalist working in Northern Ireland, I carried out interviews with members of the IRA, RUC, Irish police and British Army (including SAS), building up an intimate picture of the IRA in South Armagh from the protagonists themselves. I also had access to secret Army and RUC documents which contained previously-undisclosed details of undercover operations. The book links the IRA's success during the Troubles to the history of lawlessness and rebellion in the area - which is referred to by republican's as "God's Country". The reader will find out the identities of the IRA men who bombed England in the 1990s (the Docklands, Baltic Exchange, Bishopsgate and Manchester bombs were all mixed in barns in South Armagh before being transported across the Irish Sea on ferries of by freight). My aim was to provide answers to a series of questions: Why is South Armagh such a place apart? What sort of people have joined the IRA and how do they live their lives? What has driven these men to the point where the end will justify any means? What has it been like for the outsider to be pitted against such men? Why has the South Armagh Brigade been consistently more effective than the IRA in any other area? What has been the human cost of this fight for Irish freedom? Very few books about the Troubles focus on an area and bring the conflict down to the level of families, farmhouses and fields. I have not spared the reader the horrors of what has happened and there are pictures of bodies and the aftermath of incidents that some people might find distressing.The full story of the death of Captain Robert Nairac, an undercover Army officer, is told. There is also an account of how the SAS captured the IRA's elite sniper unit in April 1997. There are chapters on arms buying in America, the interrogations of informers, sniper attacks, bombs in England, Thomas 'Slab' Murphy. Among the important new stories contained in the book is the tale of how an Irish police officer working for the IRA betrayed the most senior RUC officer to be killed during the Troubles. But there are also details of how loyalist paramilitaries were assisted by RUC members - I want this book to be read by both 'sides' in the conflict rather than seen as a polemical work pushing a particular political agenda. I believe that on of its overall strengths is the amount of new detail contained throughout - the book is not just a collection of what is already in the public domain. It is also written in an accessible way, aimed not just at the Northern Ireland aficionado but also at the general reader who wants to find out what the IRA is about. What more can I say? If you buy this book (which is 400 pages plus and 16 pages of pictures for just £9.99 - £7.99 from Amazon)then I can say with my hand on my heart that you will not be disappointed. I welcome communication by email from any readers or potential readers. I now work in Washington DC. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
EXCELLENTLY RESEARCHED,
This review is from: Bandit Country: The IRA and South Armagh (Paperback)
Having read alot of books about the troubles in Northern Ireland, never have I come across one as good as this. The raeson for this being how well it has been researched, Toby Harnden obviously devoted so much effort in trying to find out what went on South Armagh over the 25 year period this book spans. Yet he has included only the neccasery details to keep the reader interested unlike some others books which can bore you with such detailed accounts of dates, times and places etc. This book gets across the facts you need to know to be able to understand how the most efficient and ruthless brigade of the I.R.A operated and was organised.I would definately reccomend this book to anyone, even somebody who is not interested Northern Ireland terrorism, because this book is so interesting you will be afterwards.
19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A well researched and fascinating book,
By
This review is from: Bandit Country: The IRA and South Armagh (Paperback)
For a long time I’ve looked for a book that gives a fair description of the history of the IRA and the “Troubles” – this book described itself as that and is certainly not far off the mark. The subject area is not the whole history of the IRA but instead is focussed on South Armagh, the home of the IRA’s South Armagh Brigade. Famous for being the toughest posting for a soldier from the British Army, South Armagh sits on the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, the forefront of the modern-day Troubles.The book is incredibly well-researched with extensive quotes from members of the IRA, British Army, politicians from both Ireland and Britain, as well as locals who have lived throughout events that have so often led the news.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A totally absorbing read,
By A Customer
This review is from: Bandit Country: The IRA and South Armagh (Paperback)
This is a beautifully written book which is well-balanced and sets the reasons for such strong resistance to authority within South Armagh in its historical context. Although it tackles an area which would be seen as a heavy subject, the style and content make it an extremely absorbing book to read ..... it is certainly a necessary book if you wish to understand the reasons for conflict in Ireland. It comes with very full Appendices which are extremely valuable for pursuing research in this area. Once I started it, I found it extremely difficult to put down and have bored everyone over Christmas about the need to buy and read this book!
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