Michael Collins: A Life [Hardcover]

James MacKay (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1997

Michael Collins was one of the most charismatic figures to emerge during the struggles for the independence of Ireland. This biography charts the dramatic rise of the country boy who became head of the Free State and commander-in-chief of the army, before his death in 1922 aged only 31.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This biography of Michael Collins (1890-1922) is the first since Tim Pat Coogan's definitive Michael Collins: The Man Who Made Ireland in 1992, and admirers of Collins will find verification here for their sentiments. Mackay takes us from Collins's birth in County Cork (his father was 75 when he was born) and shows how his childhood was influenced by the Fenianism of his father and uncles. He looks at Collins's 10 years in London working for the post office and financial institutions (1906-1916), noting that, through the experience, he came to know the British well. The author traces Collins as he fights in Dublin's General Post Office in 1916; his emergence as a leader in prison for the Easter Rising in 1916 (a "tiresome barrackroom lawyer" to his captors); and his return to Ireland to set up the IRA and his own counter-intelligence group. Mackay also examines the events of "Bloody Sunday" 1920, when Collins's security squad assassinated the entire British Secret Service in Dublin ("I paid them back in their own coin," said Collins); his part in the negotiations of the Irish-Anglo peace treaty and his own assassination. Mackay speculates that Collins and Moya Llewelyn Davies had a baby; focuses on his idea for a "Sinn Fein Air Force"; his threats to "invade" Northern Ireland; and his brilliance as Finance Minister (he shot British bank examiners). Mackay (Burns) has written an enlightening bio that will add to the legend of Ireland's "Big Fellow." Photos.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

The movie Michael Collins has sparked a modest renaissance on the Irish leader. Mackay (William Wallace: Brave Heart, Trafalgar Square, 1996) illuminates Collins in all his shortcomings and glory. He underscores Collins's methods, especially his dominating physical size and his intense, sometimes bullying personality while gently suggesting that a more even-tempered leader might have achieved some of what Collins did without the abrasions. The author retells several anecdotes documenting that Collins was in poor health his last weeks and that his death was so easily avoidable as to suggest self-destruction. Mackay concludes with a bittersweet epilog, arguing that, had Collins lived, he could have navigated the failed diplomacy of the Twenties and would have led a united Ireland. Opinions aside, this book deserves to be read after the film is gone; recommended for academic and public libraries.?Robert C. Moore, DuPont Merck Pharmaceuticals Co. Information Svcs., N. Billerica, Mass.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Mainstream Publishing Company, Ltd. (April 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1851588574
• ISBN-13: 978-1851588572
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.5 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #554,515 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Michael Collins: The Man Behind the Legend, December 30, 2000

By A Customer

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This review is from: Michael Collins: A Life (Paperback)

This biography was my introduction to the life and times of Michael Collins and it was a good one, though not as detailed and extensively annotated as Tim Pat Coogan's. The author is clearly an admirer of Collins but the portrayal appears to be objective and covers all the biographical bases in Collins' life--the Irish childhood and indoctrination with nationalist ideals from family and teachers; the years between 15-25 working in London; the participation in the Easter Rebellion and imprisonment in Wales; the return to Ireland and rise to leadership in the War of Independence; and the transformation to statesman in the Treaty negotiations. What Mackay particularly brings to the portrait of Collins is a warmth that allows the reader to see the real man behind the legend--the interactions with the men and women who shared his struggle or who opposed him, and the reaction of his countrymen to his leadership and to his untimely death during the bitter Civil War at the hands of former comrades who in many cases still revered him. Overall, an engrossing read.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Collins the Thinker, Collins the Military Man, June 25, 2003

By 

Sara (OK, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Michael Collins: A Life (Paperback)

For anyone wishing to know more about the bombastic, bullish side of Michael Collins, look no further. James MacKay captures Collins' thoughts-- even the most flamboyant-- with style and verbal panache. It is clear that his work has been very heavily influenced by the biographies from Frank O'Connor and Tim Pat Coogan, but MacKay distinguishes himself by emphasizing Collins' personality and his military accomplishments. He describes Michael's physical stature (5'11" with a bulky build), Michael's nature (quick to laugh, quick to cry, quick to anger, and quick to make an apology), Michael's health (his bouts with pleurisy, Spanish flu, stomach and kidney problems), Michael's orderly manner (he hated pencil writing and signatures from rubber stamps), and Michael's many other contradictions. MacKay includes several b/w photos along with explorations of Michael's military brilliance, e.g. his ability to run an entire guerrilla war from the back of a bicycle. MacKay begins with Collins' boyhood and concludes with an epilogue regarding the aftermath of Collins' assassination. If you are curious about Michael Collins the man, I can strongly recommend MacKay's biography.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of my favorites, April 25, 2007

By 

Linda D. Meyer "Celtic Rose" (Snohomish, WA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Michael Collins: A Life (Paperback)

I must have ready a dozen or so bios of Michael Collins in the past few years and this is one of my favorites. Some of them seem to spend so much time on Michael Collins, the administrator, that they don't pay enough attention to Michael Collins, the human being. If you have to read one, I recommend this one. If you want a more exhaustive bio, then read Tim Pat Coogan. My other favorite is by Frank O'Connor.