Guerilla Days in Ireland: A Personal Account of the Anglo-Irish War (Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

Review

Seven weeks before the truce to the Anglo-Irish War of July, 1921, the British presence in County Cork consisted of 8,800 front line infantry troops, 1,150 Black & Tan soldiers, 540 Auxiliaries, 2,080 machine gun corps, artillery and other unites -- a total of over 12,500 men. Against these British forces stood the Irish Republican Army whose "Flying Columns" never exceeded 310 riflemen in the whole of County Cork. Men, moreover, with "no experience of war. . . untrained in the use of arms. . . with no tactical training. . . practically unarmed. . . ". These "flying columns" were small groups of dedicated volunteers, severely commanded and disciplined. Constantly on the move, their paramount objective was merely to exist; to strike when conditions were favorable, to avoid disaster at all costs. In Guerilla Days in Ireland: A Personal Account of the Anglo-Irish War, which has been one of the classics of the Anglo-Irish War since its first publication in 1949, Tom Barry describes the setting up of the West Cork Flying Column, its training, and its plan of campaign. Guerilla Days in Ireland is the extraordinary story of the fight between two unequal forces, which ended in the withdrawal of the British from twenty-six counties. In particular, it is the story of the West Cork Flying Column under Tom Barry, a commander of genius and a national hero. -- Midwest Book Review --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Description

The extraordinary story of the fight between two unequal forces, which ended in the withdrawal of the British from 26 countries.

Product Details

• Paperback: 242 pages
• Publisher: Roberts Rinehart Publishers (November 25, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1568331967
• ISBN-13: 978-1568331966
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,876,308 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The standard work on guerrilla warfare for the last century., July 10, 2001

By	John W. Hurley (NY, NY) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Guerilla Days in Ireland (Paperback)

The incredible career of Tom Barry and that of the West Cork Flying Column is an inspirational example of what virtually untrained volunteers fighting for their families and their country can achieve, even in the face of overwhelming odds. The British had over 12,500 men in West Cork chasing after about 310 IRA Volunteers...and never defeated them. Barry discusses many military topics and personal thoughts which the student of Irish warrior traditions will find extremely helpful. Members of many guerrilla movements around the world have read and profited from the lessons in this book including Che Guevera (whose last name was "Lynch" thanks to his Irish grandfather) and the early Jewish guerrillas in the Irgun and Lehi. Anyone interested in understanding the mindset of Irishmen bent on taking a stance and fighting for what they believe in, will be well rewarded for reading this book.

10 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must read for Irish historians, August 22, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Guerilla Days in Ireland (Paperback)

This on the scene writer grimly reveals the unbelieavable atrocities the English purpetrated on the Irish people in this century. This book is a beginning to the understanding of the relations between the English and the Irish. The actions taken by armed mercenaries, English military, and English puppet police against the Irish people in their own country is appalling and brings to mind Hitler's treatment of the Jews in Europe twenty years later. A must read for all who seek an understanding to the Anglo/Irish situation.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bias ???, January 7, 2008

By	An admirer of Arthur Guinness - See all my reviews

This review is from: Guerilla Days in Ireland (Paperback)

For the third reviewer : you don't need to be English , Russian , German or American to understand and condemn nazi or stalinist atrocities ; similarly , you don't need to be an Irishman to realize Britain's unfair , oppressive and intolerant rule of Ireland , not yet finished by the way . There's ample historical evidence of all kinds of wrong doing by the British during their centuries-long illegal occupation of Ireland , denial of elementary basic rights to the Irish (catholics obviously)and the establishment of an unnatural separation of the North from the South that it is still unresolved .

Like any other country in the world , Britain has had brilliant pages in history and also dark , shameful ones , with their handling of the Irish case probably being the worst - to day .

As for the book , I'll only say this : don't miss the opportunity to learn how a small group of determined men (basically peasants)were led with brilliance to defeat a much bigger , stronger and modern army . Probably much to the dismay of some , still today .