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Amazon.co.uk Review
Where does one begin with the IRA? In the 17th century with the first Protestant settlers in the Northeast of Ireland? With Patrick Pearse's seizure of the GPO building in Dublin in 1916? With the Partition of Ireland in 1921? With the bombing campaign of the 1950s? In 1968 with the first civil rights marches? With the arrival of British troops on the streets of Belfast and Derry in 1969? Any one of these flash points could have served as a starting point for Peter Taylor's remarkable book--and indeed he pays more than lip service to their importance in Irish history. Yet he wisely chooses to make the events of 1970 to the present day his main focus, because despite what took place before, these are the years that will determine the shape of the new Ulster.
In 1970, the IRA was largely held to be a spent force. The Loyalists were running riot in Northern Ireland, while the IRA had largely forsaken nationalism in favour of extreme left-wing politics. They saw the upper classes as the oppressors of the Irish people and held that the Catholic and the Protestant working class should join together against the prevailing system and thus advocated a non-violent response to their Protestant comrades. Whatever the merits of this analysis--and there were and are some--this wasn't quite how the Catholic working class of Ulster saw the situation. They saw they were living in worse accommodation, they saw that the political system was gerrymandered to prevent change and they saw that Catholic unemployment ran significantly higher than Protestant unemployment. So to the Catholics the IRA came to stand for "I Ran Away".
Having served as the BBC's Northern Ireland correspondent for many years, Taylor is well placed to chart the ebbs and flows of the IRA--from the hunger strikes of the early 1980s to the massacre at Enniskillen. Moreover, he does so with the eyewitness accounts of many IRA member who agreed to be interviewed for this book. Their stories make fascinating--if sometimes nauseating-- reading. Incidentally, it's the self justification of these men that ends up more nauseating than their violence. But that's something we're all just going to have to live with, because men such as Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness are now part of the political furniture and are likely to be key players in any Northern Ireland Assembly. Taylor has updated the text for this paperback edition to take in the 1998 Good Friday agreement and beyond, but only a fool would imagine this is the end of the story. If you want to know the plot so far, then this book is required reading. --John Crace
Product Description
Based on the author's television series on the IRA, this book traces the group's history and relationship with Sinn Fein.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
28 of 32 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I bought this book because I wanted to understand how the conflict in N.Ireland could have continued for so long. Peter Taylor is an excellent researcher, broadcaster and writer and his experience of the conflict is second to none. His book is not just another plain factual and political account of the conflict, but about real people. To me, the most disturbing thing about the book is that for the first time I really understood just how easy it was for people, who would otherwise have led normal lives, to become engaged in activities that they would never have contemplated in normal circumstances. This book is an absolute must for anyone wanting really to understand why there has been such conflict and why it has continued for so long.
9 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Peter Taylor's TV series were highly impressive and his books even better. He's a courageous reporter who has managed to track down many of the leading provos and, most importantly, got them to relate their history in as revealing and provocative a way as possible. Taylor is always quick to detect subtexts within his history and his detachment and determination to uncover the truth are admirable. There are, of course, countless partisan accounts of the Troubles but this manages to sound balanced without ever becoming bland. He is to be congratulated for one of the best books yet written on this difficult subject.
13 of 17 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Many journalists parachute into an issue, write their byline, and disappear when the next round of flack begins. Not so Peter Taylor, who in staying with Northern Ireland for almost a generation is a reporter who gives journalism a good name. He has not only produced substantial television series on both the IRA and Loyalist terroristism, but is aware that despite the evident advantage of using television to explain life's complexities many of the subtleties may need to be further developed in prose. This is not however a book of the television series, but stands on its own right as a deeply researched analysis of not just the history of the IRA but of the political mindview within which they work. Taken in conjunction with his equivalent and more recent book on Loyalist terrorists Peter Taylor has ensured that no one in Britain (or Ireland) can now excuse their lack of understanding by maintaining that no-one has seen fit to provide a suitably accessible study of the protagonists. If you want to know why the political extremists have come in from the cold and seem now engaged in political rather than military campaigns you can do no better than read Peter Taylor.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
cracking good read
Well for years i must admit the irish troubles were something that was constantly on the news and i had only one view a british one of course,and i could not understand why people... Read more
Published 16 months ago by rebelinblue
The best piece of investigative journalism I've read
As with many other reviews I read this book to gain a better understanding of the conflict that has raged for so many years, both on and off our shores. Read more
Published 22 months ago by lukewatson
Worth a read
This book is well written and from an unbiased writer.
I definitely would recommend it !!!
I definitely would recommend it !!!
Published 23 months ago by B. Watt
Good, but not that good
I thought this was a very good descriptive account of the 'troubles'. However it was a little too journalistic for me. Read more
Published 24 months ago by Mr. R. J. Baker
Contains a unique inside dimension to the account of events
The strength of this book is the author's extensive interviews with IRA members, who give their feelings and opinions on a wide range of issues at numerous key points between the... Read more
Published on 15 May 2009 by Pablo
Excellent book
I wanted to read a book on the Northern Ireland troubles and I found this book excellent. It was detailed enough without going overboard and gave me a good insight to the troubles... Read more
Published on 5 Aug 2005
Comprehensive and compelling
A comprehensive history of the IRA from the days of Patrick Pearse in 1916 right through to the Good Friday Agreement of 1998. Read more
Published on 16 Feb 2005 by Mr. S. Bayne
A well written and interesting study of the Conflict
This book is excellent for those wanting to understand how the problems in Northern Ireland started and how they developed to the present situation. Read more
Published on 28 July 2001
An Excellent Bit of Writing.
Having read Peter Taylor's book "Loyalists", I was intrigued to see what this one was like. Well I wasn't disappointed. Read more
Published on 10 April 2000
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