Provos: The IRA & Sinn Fein Revised Edition

by Peter Taylor (Author)

130 ratings

ISBN-13: 978-0747538189

ISBN-10: 0747538182

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This work examines the Provos, from 1969, when the IRA was effectively dead and buried, to within a few short years, when it had resurrected to become the most feared and sophisticated terrorist organization in the world. The book is based on in-depth interviews with key personalities in the Army, Police, British and Irish governments, giving first-hand accounts of the key events. Based on the author's television series on the IRA, this book traces the group's history and relationship with Sinn Fein.

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Product details

Publisher : Bloomsbury UK; Revised edition (September 1, 1998)
Language : English
Paperback : 384 pages
ISBN-10 : 0747538182
ISBN-13 : 978-0747538189
Item Weight : 11.3 ounces
Dimensions : 5.25 x 1.25 x 8 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #990,830 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #2,498 in European History (Books)
- #7,817 in Great Britain History (Books)
- #9,101 in Political Science (Books)

Customer Reviews:
130 ratings

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AOM

He shows how the actions of the IRA effected Ireland but he also shows with the liberal use of interviews how men of potential l

Reviewed in the United States on November 30, 2016

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A somewhat more balanced approach to the IRA then one might expect from a British journalist. He shows how the actions of the IRA effected Ireland but he also shows with the liberal use of interviews how men of potential like Gerry Adams and Martin McGuiness were driven to violence by the injustices that existed in their society. Peter Taylor exhibits the best qualities of a journalist in seeking not to judge the actions of the men of the IRA but rather to understand them which I think why he succeeds so well.

7 people found this helpful

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kara

Fantastic Journalism

Reviewed in the United States on April 10, 2016

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i love this book. I'm taking an upper-level Northern Ireland History course in college and have a million books, articles, documentaries, interviews, and the sort to flip through but this one book is my main go-to for referencing the troubles. The nature of the history in itself is a nightmare of confusion...Plus with all the politics that make zero sense and the political movements and their 3-5 letter acronyms, it all gets to be a little obnoxious! But I would say that Taylor did an extradordinary job laying it all out as clearly and objectively as possible. Half of the time this book makes me really sad or moved, the other half I'm laughing (Paisley throwing snowballs at the Prime Minister's car, for example). Great read.

4 people found this helpful

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Parker

Read All Three

Reviewed in the United States on February 10, 2020

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The entire series is supremely well researched and presented. It is compelling reading. The three volumes feel very close to a comprehensive telling of a long, complex, terrible series of events with fair due paid to each of the focal groups.

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M. Cline

One of best books on the Troubles

Reviewed in the United States on January 1, 2018

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Very comprehensive look into the Provisional IRA and Sinn Fein from their origins to the Good Friday agreements. Extremely well researched and written so well, it's very hard to put down.

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Maxwell

Very informing book.

Reviewed in the United States on December 13, 2020

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Very fair even-handed review on the provos and their creation. Includes their bads and goods. Lots of quotes from those who were actually at the events being mentioned. Excellent book.

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Kindle Customer

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United States on April 9, 2017

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Very educational

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Susan

good read!

Reviewed in the United States on January 30, 2017

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read for a college class...good read!

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Dominika

Great book

Reviewed in the United States on October 23, 2016

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A must read for those interested in the history of Northern Ireland/Ireland and the Republican movement.

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F Henwood

Too long a sacrifice

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 11, 2017

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The first of three volumes, examining the conflict from the Republican, Loyalist and British perspectives, Peter Taylor gets into the mind of both the leaders and followers of the IRA, one of the most reviled outfits in British history. This is a work of explanation, a careful reconstruction of the origins of the Troubles, which he attributes to the unfinished business of partition in the 1920s. It is particularly good on why relations between the British army and nationalist communities broke down, from being welcomed as liberators in 1969 to Bloody Sunday, less than two years' later.

He also shows that talks with the IRA, on and off, from the beginning of the conflict, sowed the seeds, on seemingly barren ground, for the peace process in the 1990s. He shows that, around 1975, Adams and McGuiness began to realise, at first dimly, that their Protestant opponents were not mere tools of British imperialism but driven by their own motives and ideology, leading, in time, to an acceptance that the Protestant people had a tradition of their own, and if the two communities were to co-exist on the same island, this fact had to be accepted. 'Brits Out' would not solve the problem. Just how profound a shift in perception this was really needs to be appreciated, given the passionate attachment of the majority of Republicans to the idea that the division between Catholic and Protestant was somehow fake.

What this book does not do is provide a sociological or historical analysis of Republican ideology or discuss its comparative strength in relation to the mainstream, non-violent nationalist movement, which always outperformed Sinn Fein in elections for the duration of the Troubles, in terms of votes won, north and south of the border. Also, the role of informers is overlooked. The Republican community was riven with all manner of petty divisions which allowed British intelligence various avenues to try and undermine the movement from within. It would have been useful to have included testimonies from 'traitors'. So, you will have to look elsewhere for those sorts of books.

It is not an academic study but still bringing rigour to its analysis, telling the story of why those who formed and supported the IRA thought and acted in the way they did. He neither condemns not condones. He explains the way they saw things. They were motivated by a sense of historical injustice and resentment, resentments that were not without foundation. Their blindness was in failing to see that the other side's passionate attachment to their own traditions was every bit as sincere as theirs. Right or wrong, belief informs action. In explaining action, we need to get at belief. That is what this book manages to explain.

The question will naturally be asked as to this book's biases. I would say that it has no overt bias. Some will think it sympathetic to the Provos' cause, because it does not indulge in slamming denunciations of the men of violence. Others though will note his rejection of Republican conspiracy theories, such as the supposition that Bloody Sunday in Derry in 1972 was the outcome of a deliberate British decision to make an example of the natives. It was the outcome of a general breakdown in relations between the army and the nationalist community that was the product of a miscalculation and poor decision making, producing consequences the British government did not intend.

Essential reading for anyone interested in the Northern Irish conflict or in political violence and extremism generally.

7 people found this helpful

R.M.F.Brown (Author)

A good introduction for the layman

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 3, 2015

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An excellent introduction to the troubles for the layman

Irish history, like the history of any other nation, cannot be pigeon holed into neat black and white categories. It's complex, at times messy, and provides the scholar with no easy answers to why things happened as they did.

Impartial, near unbiased, and written with journalistic analysis, Taylor provides the reader with one of the best books I've read on the subject (and I've read many!)

The brevity of this review may infuriate some, but I prefer to let the pages speak for themselves. A long winded review from me indicates a particular problem with a book. The shorter the review, the better the book!

Highly recommended.

One person found this helpful

Amazon Customer

Excellent shopping experience

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 25, 2020

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Very pleased with purchase. Just what I was looking for. Great quality.
Arrived in good time well packaged and great condition
Would definitely recommend buying this product and seller

DBWM

BRILLIANT.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 18, 2017

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IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR A DEFINITIVE BOOK ON "THE TROUBLES", THEN LOOK NO FURTHER. SUPERB IN EVERY RESPECT.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

One person found this helpful

West

Superbly written and informative

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 6, 2020

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Just a brilliant document on the troubles. Taylor gives an impartial account from the republican perspective and the book contains many shocking details of appalling incidences that occurred during the bloody complex war .

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