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An important study which sheds much new and valuable light on Anglo-Irish relations in this period. CONTEMPORARY REVIEW This exemplary book is the definitive study of its subject. THE MILITARY TIMES The section on neutral Ireland is particularly enlightening as it is often overlooked by historians and contains an interesting cast of characters including John Betjeman and Elizabeth Bowen. BOOKS IRELAND
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One of the Irish Times' Books of the Year, 2008 The struggle between British intelligence agencies and Irish revolutionaries has lasted for centuries - and still goes on. But it was at its most intense during the first half of the twentieth century. Ireland experienced a bloody rebellion, bitter partition and a stuttering march towards independence. Britain grappled with imperial decline and world war, while worrying about being stabbed in the back by its Irish neighbour. Using recently opened archives, this book reveals for the first time how intelligence and intelligence agencies shaped Anglo-Irish relations during this formative period. The book casts light on characters long kept in the shadows - IRA gunrunners, Bolshevik agitators, Nazi saboteurs, British double agents. It shows what happened when Irish revolutionaries stopped fighting, formed governments and started sharing information with London - while doing everything possible to hide this from the Irish public. It also fills in a missing chapter in the history of the British intelligence community, tracing its evolution from amateurish beginnings, through a painful adolescence, to the sophisticated apparatus that is largely still with us. The book probes some deeper questions about intelligence and the complex Anglo-Irish relationship. What has the most influence on government policy? The work of professional intelligence agencies? Or the misconceptions and preconceptions that politicians and civil servants bring to their jobs? Why are secrets so seductive - and sometimes so misleading? Packed with anecdotes and unexpected paradoxes, this book provides new insights into the history of the British intelligence community and helps explain the twists and turns of Anglo-Irish relations during a time of momentous change. The lessons it draws still echo today, as Britain contends with the threat posed by violent militants, whether from Ireland or further afield. PAUL MCMAHON received his bachelor's degree from University College Dublin, before studying for an MPhil and a PhD at Cambridge University. He has worked as a management consultant and policy advisor focussing on climate change and food security. He now lives in London.
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Much has been written about Anglo-Irish relations over the period covered by this book, 1916-1945 but this is one of the best accounts i have read. It uses as its prism the story of British Intelligence and Ireland but it goes much deeper than that. The intelligence perspective allows for a comprehensive view of the British Government's attitude and provides a clear insight into the motivating forces, thoughts and predjudices that governed it. Sadly it is on the whole a story of incompetence, ignorance and misunderstanding that explains all the misssteps and bungling that characterised British policy until some commonsense and proper analysis finally began to produce some coherent policymaking from 1941 onwards.
The first period of intense British involvement lasted through until the Treaty in 1921 and if you ever wonder how Britain managed to lose Ireland this book will tell you. After that interest diminished again until De Valera took power in 1932 when a by now rusty machine was kickstarted into ineffective action. The Author gives an excellent account of the Agrement to give up the Treaty Ports in 1938 and the consequences thereof when war came. Predjudice and ignorance again proved predominent during the initial part of the war and nearly led to some disastrous decisions. Fortunately an effective link was formed with the Irish Army intelligence unit G2 and matters came under control and the intelligence machine actually worked effectively and ensured that although Ireland may have remained neutral it otherwise, albeit covertly, sided with the Allies on all issues of importance.
This is an important book well worth reading with many insights and analysis beyond the remit of its title.
The first period of intense British involvement lasted through until the Treaty in 1921 and if you ever wonder how Britain managed to lose Ireland this book will tell you. After that interest diminished again until De Valera took power in 1932 when a by now rusty machine was kickstarted into ineffective action. The Author gives an excellent account of the Agrement to give up the Treaty Ports in 1938 and the consequences thereof when war came. Predjudice and ignorance again proved predominent during the initial part of the war and nearly led to some disastrous decisions. Fortunately an effective link was formed with the Irish Army intelligence unit G2 and matters came under control and the intelligence machine actually worked effectively and ensured that although Ireland may have remained neutral it otherwise, albeit covertly, sided with the Allies on all issues of importance.
This is an important book well worth reading with many insights and analysis beyond the remit of its title.
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