Join Amazon Prime and get unlimited Free One-Day Delivery. Already a member? Sign in.

 

or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
   
More Buying Choices
34 used & new from £3.92
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
The Provos: The IRA and Sinn Fein
 
See larger image 
Share your own customer images
Publisher: learn how customers can search inside this book.

The Provos: The IRA and Sinn Fein (Paperback)

by Peter Taylor (Author)
4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
RRP: £9.99
Price: £6.99 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
You Save: £3.00 (30%)
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
In stock.
Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk. Gift-wrap available.

Want guaranteed delivery by Thursday, July 16? Choose Express delivery at checkout. See Details
18 new from £5.55 16 used from £3.92
Other Editions: RRP: Our Price: Other Offers:
Hardcover 8 used & new from £8.46

Frequently Bought Together

The Provos: The IRA and Sinn Fein + Brits: The War Against the IRA + Loyalists
Price For All Three: £20.37

Show availability and shipping details

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Brits: The War Against the IRA

Brits: The War Against the IRA

by Peter Taylor
4.8 out of 5 stars (5)  £6.99
Loyalists

Loyalists

by Peter Taylor
4.2 out of 5 stars (6)  £6.39
Armed Struggle: The History of the IRA

Armed Struggle: The History of the IRA

by Richard English
3.3 out of 5 stars (3)  £6.99
Making Sense of the Troubles

Making Sense of the Troubles

by David McKittrick
3.7 out of 5 stars (3)  £7.69
Killing Rage

Killing Rage

by Eamon Collins
4.6 out of 5 stars (19)  £6.99
› Explore similar items

Product details

  • Paperback: 384 pages
  • Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC; New edition edition (24 Sep 1998)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0747538182
  • ISBN-13: 978-0747538189
  • Product Dimensions: 19.6 x 12.8 x 3.2 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 67,601 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in these categories:

    #73 in  Books > Society, Politics & Philosophy > Government & Politics > Civil Liberties & Political Activism > Political Violence > Terrorism & Freedom Fighters
    #80 in  Books > History > World History > World War II 1939-1945 > Countries > Britain

    •  Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

Product Description

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.

Suggested Tags from Similar Products

 (What's this?)
Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
Check a corresponding box or enter your own tags in the field below
ira
troubles
political parties
peter taylor
europe

Your tags: Add your first tag
 
See most popular tags

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

The Provos: The IRA and Sinn Fein
74% buy the item featured on this page:
The Provos: The IRA and Sinn Fein 4.9 out of 5 stars (8)
£6.99
Brits: The War Against the IRA
11% buy
Brits: The War Against the IRA 4.8 out of 5 stars (5)
£6.99
Killing Rage
7% buy
Killing Rage 4.6 out of 5 stars (19)
£6.99
Armed Struggle: The History of the IRA
4% buy
Armed Struggle: The History of the IRA 3.3 out of 5 stars (3)
£6.99
Explore similar items
 

Customer Reviews

8 Reviews
5 star:
 (7)
4 star:
 (1)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.9 out of 5 stars (8 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A fascinating and authoritative study, 15 Dec 2000
By A Customer
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.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent history of the modern IRA., 9 April 1999
By A Customer
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.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Impressive History Of The IRA, 21 Sep 2006
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.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars 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 2 months ago by Pablo

5.0 out of 5 stars 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... Read more
Published on 5 Aug 2005

5.0 out of 5 stars 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

4.0 out of 5 stars 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 Jul 2001

5.0 out of 5 stars 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

Only search this product's reviews


Customer Discussions

 Beta (What's this?)
This product's forum (0 discussions)
  Discussion Replies Latest Post
  No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
  [Cancel]


Active discussions in related forums
   
Related forums

Listmania!

Create a Listmania! list

Look for similar items by category

Feedback

Fun for Everyone

Christmas Gifts
Achieve over 15,000 RPM with our great range of Powerballs.

›Shop the Powerball store

  

Up to 75% off Shoes

Shoe Clearance - 75% off Shoes
Save up to 75% on shoes for the whole family.

›Shop clearance shoes

  

Up to 50% off Dental Care

Braun Oral-B Professional Care 6000 Rechargeable Toothbrush - Pack of 2
Put a sparkle in your smile with up to 50% off selected Oral-B and Philips rechargeable toothbrushes.

›Up to 50% off power toothbrushes

  

Treat Someone

Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificates--available in any amount from £5 to £500 With an Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificate, you can get them what they want (even if you don't know what that is).

›Learn more about Gift Certificates

  
Ad

Where's My Stuff?

Delivery and Returns

Need Help?

Your Recent History

  (What's this?)
You have no recently viewed items or searches.

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.

Look to the right column to find helpful suggestions for your shopping session.
Continue Shopping: Top Sellers

amazon.co.uk Amazon Home
International Sites:  United States  |  Germany  |  France  |  Japan  |  Canada  |  China
Business Programs: Sell on Amazon  |  Fulfilment by Amazon  |  Join Associates  |  Join Advantage
Customer Service  |  Help  |  View Basket  |  Your Account
About Amazon.co.uk  |  Careers at Amazon
Conditions of Use & Sale |  Privacy Notice  © 1996-2009, Amazon.com, Inc. and its affiliates