The Gun In Politics: An Analysis Of Irish Political Conflict, 1916-1986

A collection of essays on the Irish troubles, on Anglo-Irish relations and on the long history of the Irish Republican Army, by an author steeped in the revolutionary history of the island and interested in political violence generally. Ireland since 1916 is the focus, set within a wider context. There is general concern with revolutionaries, "whether they seek power or only an audience to their despair." Reflective comparisons are made-to Menachem Begin's Zionist terrorist organization, for example-and the larger European scene: "The number of Irishmen killed in a few days at the Somme totals more than all the political deaths on the island this century." A highly readable set of essays.