The Irish War of Independence / Michael Hopkinson.
By: Hopkinson, Michael
.
Material type: 
BookPublisher: Dublin : Gill & Macmillan, 2004Description: xxi, 274 p., [16] p. of plates : ill., map ; 20 cm.Content type: text | still image Media type: unmediated Carrier type: volumeISBN: 0717137414; 9780717137411.Subject(s): Irish Republican Army -- History | History | European history | National liberation & independence, post-colonialism | Revolutions, uprisings, rebellions | Ireland | Inter-war period c 1919 to c 1939 | History | Ireland -- History -- 1910-1921 | Ireland -- History -- War of Independence, 1919-1921 | Ireland -- Foreign relations -- Great Britain | Great Britain -- Foreign relations -- Ireland | Ireland -- Relations -- Great Britain | Great Britain -- Relations -- IrelandDDC classification: 941.50821 HOP | Item type | Current library | Call number | Copy number | Status | Barcode | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General lending | MTU Kerry North Campus Library First Floor Main | 941.50821 HOP (Browse shelf(Opens below)) | 1 | Available | 38888000581284 |
Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:
What is remarkable about Michael Hopkinson's Irish War of Independence is the way he shows how random and circumstantial the revolutionary strategy became. Volunteers in rural areas improvised military campaigns often sanctioned retrospectively by their leaders in Dublin." Maurice Walsh, New Statesman
"An objective and well-researched account of the events that led to the establishment of our state." Garret FitzGerald, Irish Times
"Masterly... [it] has filled a major gap historical writing by placing the final stages of the revolution of January 1919 to July 1921 in the wider context of the Ulster Crisis of 1912-14 and the First World War." John Cooney, Irish Independent
First paperback edition.
Includes bibliographical references (p. [245]-256) and index.
pt. 1. Gathering storm: British rule in Ireland -- Background to the Irish Revolution -- pt. 2. Beginning: Outline of the War January 1919-June 1920 -- British administration 1919-April 1920 -- The Dáil and the Dáil government -- British security forces -- British policy at the crossroads, April-August 1920 -- pt. 3. Apogee: The Irish intelligence system and the development of guerrilla warfare up to the truce -- The War July-December 1920 -- From the imposition of martial law to the truce, the British perspective -- Guerrilla warfare in Dublin -- The War in Cork -- The War in Tipperary, Limerick, Waterford, Wexford and Kilkenny -- The War in Kerry and Clare -- The War in the west and north-west counties -- The Irish midlands, some surrounding counties and IRA activity in Britain -- pt. 4. Consequences: The north-east and the War of Independence -- The American dimension -- The peace process -- The path to the truce.
The Irish War of Independence was a sporadic guerrilla campaign which lasted from January 1919 until July 1921. This narrative contains much valuable first-hand contemporary accounts of the war.
Reviews provided by Syndetics
Publishers Weekly Review
Historian Hopkinson (Green Against Green) has written an all-encompassing account of the Irish War of Independence (1919-1921), covering military, diplomatic and political issues. As Hopkinson points out, the war was largely one of tit-for-tat reprisal killings between the IRA and local police until the British brought in the Black and Tans, and the violence escalated to bloody guerrilla warfare. Hopkinson devotes a large part of the book to a localized, county-by-county recounting of the war: Dublin and Cork witnessed loads of violence, for instance, while Galway saw almost none. Hopkinson also describes at length how Michael Collins defeated the British through the use of informers and spies. As the author makes clear, the war could have ended in 1920, but a crucial diplomatic opportunity was lost. Hopkinson really knows his sources, using diaries and government documents to show how the British moved from a policy of coercion to one of negotiation. Indeed, the book's strongest point is its exploration of the behind-the-scenes shifts in British policy. Hopkinson's breadth is also impressive, as can be seen from his exploration of the American aspect of the war (the U.S. was a source of funds and weapons for the Irish. Indeed, Sinn Fein leader Eamon de Valera spent most of the war in the U.S. raising money and seeking American recognition). All in all, this is an exhaustive, if sometimes dry, account that should appeal to those interested in modern Irish history. (Nov.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reservedCHOICE Review
Hopkinson (Univ. of Sterling) wrote the highly regarded Green against Green (CH, May'89), a history of the Irish Civil War of 1922-23. This prequel explores the equally ferocious Anglo-Irish War of 1919-21, which resulted in the granting of dominion status to the 26 largely Catholic counties of southern Ireland. Like the earlier study, this one claims neutrality between hostile camps of nationalist and revisionist historians, occasionally to the point of tedium, as the author dispassionately analyzes intricate political and military operations. Hopkinson ably integrates research by David Fitzpatrick, Eunan O'Halpin, Charles Townshend, and other authorities on the war with the fruits of his own delving into British, Irish, US, and Australian archives and dozens of published and unpublished journals and memoirs. His detailed history curiously ends with the military truce of July 1921, excluding the peace negotiations leading to the Anglo-Irish Treaty of December 1921. A detailed chronology and a small documents collection aid readers unfamiliar with the subject, but biographical notes and military maps supplementing the one small political map, plus some additional illustrations, would also have been helpful. ^BSumming Up: Recommended. Most libraries. D. M. Cregier University of Prince Edward IslandAuthor notes provided by Syndetics
Dr Michael Hopkinson was a reader in History at Stirling University in Scotland. One of the world's leading authorities on the Irish revolutionary period, he is also the author of Green Against Green: The Irish in the Civil War.