The IRA [Paperback]

Tim Pat Coogan (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0312294166 | ISBN-13: 978-0312294168 | Publication Date: January 5, 2002 | Edition: Revised

This updated edition of the best-selling history of the IRA now includes behind-the-scenes information on the recent advances made in the peace process. With clarity and objectivity, Coogan examines the IRA's origins, its foreign links, bombing campaigns, hunger strikes and sectarian violence and its role in the latest attempts to bring peace to Northern Ireland. Meticulously researched and featuring interviews with past and present members of the organization, this is a compelling account of modern Irish history.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“No student of Irish history can afford to ignore this book. No scholar is likely to improve on it... A fascinating book, of the greatest possible value to us all...” —Times Literary Supplement

“The standard reference work on the subject...” —The New York Times

About the Author

Tim Pat Coogan is one of the best known journalists and historians in Ireland. Former editor of theIrish Press, he has written several books, includingWherever Green is Worn (Palgrave), The Troubles (Palgrave), On the Blanket; and bestselling biographies of Michael Collins and De Valera. He lives in Dublin.

Product Details

• Paperback: 864 pages
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan; Revised edition (January 5, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312294166
• ISBN-13: 978-0312294168
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #351,035 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Word of Caution!, May 6, 2004

By 

Mcgivern Owen L (NY, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The IRA (Paperback)

Fair Warning: Tim Pat Coogan's "The IRA" is a lengthy, serious and highly detailed work of Irish history. It will be certain to disappoint the casual reader. The subject matter is grim. It encompasses the history of the Irish Republican Army from the early 1920's to the present-depressing- day. The several reprintings virtually guarantee some repetition in the text. The glorious years of the Easter Rising (1916-1921) are not central. IRA military heroics from that era are basically ignored. Instead "The IRA" commences at the end of the Irish Civil War and the dawn of the Irish Free State circa 1922 and leads up to the present -depressing- day. "The IRA" is exhaustively researched with supporting anecdotes and interviews galore. It is rich in detail. There is no doubt that one is reading true and accurately reported happenings. Author Coogan obviously possess a wide range of contacts in the Irish Republic and Northern Ireland. He must not lack for friends and drinking companions! This reviewer knows first hand that he is an entertaining -and credible- speaker. However "The IRA" is far too long. Given the interesting subject matter, it is strangely dry. One might wonder, given the reprintings, why a sharp penciled editor has not stepped in to reshape the copy. Nonetheless the SERIOUS (!) student of Irish affairs will be satisfied. Works such as this are essential to an appreciation of the history of the troubled island. Yet, the final word on Mr. Coogan's findings must be a pessimistic one. There have been so many false starts, false promises, broken treaties, broken dreams, dead ends, double dealing, lying, spinelessness and outright treachery in the past decades. One wonders if there will ever be a peaceful resolution to "The Troubles" in Ireland. One wonders further if the players in the capitals of Washington, London and especially Dublin have given up. "The IRA" does absolutely nothing to dispel that grim notion; in fact it reinforces it. Leon Uris wrote in "Ireland A Terrible Beauty" that "there is no future in Ireland-only the past repeating itself". Those who THINK they are interested in Irish history are better advised to try Coogan's "Michael Collins: The Man Who Made Ireland" first. Those who KNOW they are so intrigued may tackle this weightier tome-and add stars to the rating above. At least the Big Fellow's life had a definite beginning, middle and end.

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Gripping and Thorough History, November 19, 2002

By 

Paul J. Ditz (Shelby, NC United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The IRA (Paperback)

Coogan presents possibly his best work of his career in "The IRA." He puts forth a painstakingly researched, and thorourghly gripping account of the temultuous history of this controversial organization. Originally less than half the size of its now overwhelming 800 plus pages, Coogan has updated his history up through the Good Friday agreements, never stumbling a bit. This is a must read for anyone interested in modern Irish history.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Thorough read, September 21, 2006

By 

Matt Quayle (Salt Lake City, UT United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The IRA (Paperback)

As Mr. McGivern stated in an earlier comment, this book is a little heavy for the casual reader. However, if the reader is able to plow through the multitude of dates and names, he/she will have a good understanding of what transpired and why.