Tracing its history to the foundation of the Irish Volunteers in 1913, the Irish Defence Forces has evolved beyond recognition from the force that emerged in tandem with the new state in 1922. Plunged immediately into chaos of a bitter civil war, the path to a modern, professional Defence Forces during the 1920s and 1930s was rarely smooth, with progression hampered by internal dissent, political manoeuvrings and limited financial investment. The difficulties of creating and maintaining a force capable of defending the neutrality of a small island nation, with a geopolitical and strategic importance that belied its size, were brought home during the Emergency. Nonetheless, the state's desire to maintain its neutrality as global politics became increasingly polarised in the post-war years allowed new opportunities to develop. Following Ireland's accession to the United Nations in 1955, the Defence Forces emerged as a core member of the UN's peacekeeping efforts, concurrently developing as a vital element of Ireland's international relations. The Defence Forces' duties in aid of the civil power became ever more vital with the outbreak of violence in Northern Ireland in 1969.

Born in the Civil War of 1922–23, the army of the Republic of Ireland occupied a sensitive place in the national culture for many years. In World War II, it faced the challenge of maintaining Ireland's integrity as a neutral. Post-war, it found a new role in 1960, providing troops for the United Nations intervention in the war-torn Congo; and since then has supported UN missions in the Middle East and elsewhere. More recently the border with troubled Ulster has obliged the Republic to invest in reform and modernisation. Ireland's freedom to seek examples and equipment worldwide has created an interesting progression of uniforms, illustrated in this study of Ireland's forces over 80 years.

Éire seceded from the United Kingdom in 1922 and simultaneously established its own National Army (known as the Free State Army, later as the Irish Defence Forces). Regardless of this historic national step, the centuries-long tradition of Irishmen joining the British military did not cease. Rather, the custom continued, and during the Second World War, despite Éire's official neutral stance, tens of thousands of Irishmen joined the British military. Within this number, there is a unique sub-group of soldiers who took a personally greater risk by enlisting - those that deserted from the Irish National Army.

The period of 1923-1948 in Irish Republic history, carried the sombre undertones of an unrealized and unrealizable ideal. In spite of riots, shootings and death, 500 unconvicted men eked out the war years in Tintown University. Here, they tell their story, spanning 25 years of history.

The Irish Army draws its traditions from three sources: the 1916 Rising, the War of Independence and the Civil War. This book charts the history of the Irish Army, through its evolution from a guerrilla force to the legally constituted military arm of the Irish Government, up to the present day.

In September 1939 the Second World War broke out. The fact that Ireland remained neutral in the conflict is well known. What is far less well-known is that from 1939 onwards Ireland prepared to defend itself from invasion. Combining many previously unseen photographs and documents and with a text based on research in Defence Forces and official archives, this book is an illustrated photographic and documentary history of the military and defensive preparations made by Ireland's Defence Forces during the Second World War, what became known officially only as 'The Emergency'.

Building on the success of previous editions, Politics in the Republic of Ireland continues to provide an authoritative introduction to all aspects of government and politics in this seventh edition. Written by some of the foremost experts on Irish politics, it explains, analyses and interprets the background to Irish government and contemporary political processes. It devotes chapters to every aspect of contemporary Irish government and politics, including the political parties and elections, the constitution, deliberative democracy, referendums, the Taoiseach and the governmental system, women and politics, the position of the Dáil, and Ireland’s place within the European Union. Bringing readers up to date with the very latest developments, especially with the upheaval in the Irish party system and the implications of recent liberalising referendums, the seventh edition combines substance with a highly readable style, providing an accessible book that meets the needs of all those who are interested in knowing how politics and government operate in Ireland.