"This is the first biographical work of one of the chief policymakers to have served the independent Irish state. It is the only scholarly biography (apart from Sean Lemass) of a senior Fianna Fail minister prominent in every de Valera administration." "Sean MacEntee was in many ways a unique political personality. He was the most senior politician in the independent Irish state to have been born in what became Northern Ireland. Moreover, he was a fiercely independent thinker whose written contribution to the public life of the state was considerable, reflecting his insatiable interest in all aspects of government policy, not merely those for which he bore ultimate responsibility. An assessment of MacEntee's life offers a unique opportunity to convey the full force of ministerial thought over a period of four decades in government and provides a comprehensive record of the main aspects of public policymaking since the foundation of the state." --Book Jacket.

Following the suppression of the Easter Rising in Dublin in 1916, the British Army court-martialled almost 200 prisoners. Around ninety of them received death sentences, but the death penalty was confirmed only for the fifteen men considered to be the leaders. All fifteen were executed. Until 1999, official British records of these fifteen trials were kept a close secret, and in 2001 further material was released, including the trial of Countess Markievicz and important evidence about the shoot to kill tactics used by the British Army. These records, the subject of heated speculation and propaganda for over eighty years, are clearly presented in this important new edition of From Behind a Closed Door, containing previously unpublished material from archive sources, such as the Bureau of Military History witness statements. The complete transcripts are all revealed, together with fascinating photographs of the Rising, the fifteen leaders and the key British players. Brian Barton incisive commentary explains the context of the trials and the motivations of the leaders, providing an invaluable insight into what went on behind closed doors at a defining moment in Irish history.

This thought-provoking book retells the 1916 Rising story through previously unavailable first-hand accounts from the protagonists. Illustrated with unpublished and rare photographs, this book also features an introduction by well-known historian and author Dr Margaret Mac Curtain. Witnesses: Inside the Easter Rising is the first book to draw on official witness statements taken over several years from the late 1940s onwards by the government of the time and only released to the public by the Bureau of Military History in 2003. In its judicious use of the statements given by the foot-soldiers and second-line participants in the Rising, the book provides a unique perspective on the events of Easter 1916. From the volunteers walking the Royal canal from Kildare to fight in Dublin (of which the author's father was one) , to the women fighting, smuggling guns and cooking for the insurgents in the GPO, Witnesses transports the reader alongside those taking part in this pivotal event in modern Irish history. Insights into controversial matters such as the decision to countermand the order for the Rising on its eve, the so-called Castle document , as well as the personal affections and jealousies of those involved, are all discussed in detail. There are also previously unpublished photos taken inside the GPO during Easter week.

A complete guide to Dáil, Seanad & Presidential elections in Ireland in 2011, including comprehensive background & historical information.

The year 1916 witnessed two events that would profoundly shape both politics and commemoration in Ireland over the course of the following century. Although the Easter Rising and the Battle of the Somme were important historical events in their own right, their significance also lay in how they came to be understood as iconic moments in the emergence of Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic. Adopting an interdisciplinary approach drawing on history, politics, anthropology and cultural studies, this volume explores how the memory of these two foundational events has been constructed, mythologised and revised over the course of the past century. The aim is not merely to understand how the Rising and the Somme came to exert a central place in how the past is viewed in Ireland, but to explore wider questions about the relationship between history, commemoration and memory.

On Easter Monday, between 1,000 and 1,500 Irish Volunteers and members of the Irish Citizen Army seized the General Post Office and other key locations in Dublin. The intention of their leaders, including Patrick Pearse and James Connolly, was to end British rule in Ireland and establish an independent thirty-two county Irish republic. For a week battle raged in the Irish capital until the Rising collapsed. The rebel leaders were executed soon afterwards, though in death their ideals quickly triumphed.lluminating every aspect of that fateful Easter week, The Easter Rising is based on an impressive range of original sources. It has been fully revised, expanded and updated in the light of a wealth of new material and extensive use has been made of almost 2,000 witness statements that the Bureau of Military History in Dublin gathered from participants in the Rising. The result is a vivid depiction of the personalities and actions not just of the leaders on both sides but the rank and file and civilians as well. The book brings the reader closer to the events of 1916 than has previously been possible and provides an exceptional account of a city at war.

Eamon de Valera – 'The Long Fellow' – remains a towering presence whose shadow still falls over Irish life. The history of Ireland for much of the twentieth century is the history of de Valera. From the 1916 Rising, the troubled Treaty negotiations and the Civil War, right through to his retirement after a longer period in power than any other 20th-century leader, Eamon de Valera has both defined and divided Ireland. He was directly responsible for the Irish Constitution, Fianna Fail (the largest Irish political party) and the Irish Press Group. He helped create a political church-state monolith with continuing implications for Northern Ireland, the social role of women, the Irish language and the whole concept of an Irish nation. Many of the challenges he confronted are still troubling the peace of Ireland and of Britain, and some of the problems are his legacy. Tim Pat Coogan's comprehensive study of this political giant is a major addition to the history of Irish-British relationships.