An Cosantóir

29 REVIEWS On a small hill on the south side of Wexford town, half hidden by a high wall there is a military barracks. It is almost invisible and is scarcely ever noticed by the people of Wexford as they pass it by. Yet the History of this building and of the Norman castle that stood on the same site before it, is the history of Wexford town itself. Four years in the writing, this thoroughly researched book charts the nine centuries of strife, upheaval and social change through the eyes of the castle and barracks exploring the complex but always close relationship between the castle and the town. Just outside the town wall the town the Norman Castle stood. There the people paid their taxes and rents to a lord they seldom if ever saw. There they were brought to court, there imprisoned if they broke a law they sometimes did not understand and there they served a soldiers in the lord's army when called upon to do so. This book gives a short biography of all the constables in charge of Wexford castle that we can name, and narrates their deeds in Wexford as they tried to subdue the rebellious Irish families of the north of the county. It was through this castle that Cromwell gained control of Wexford. This book examines closely what happened on that fateful day when James Stafford, the Castle Constable, yielded the castle to Cromwell. The castle was demolished in 1723 and from the same stones the present barracks was built. In 1798 it was home to the North Cork Militia. The barracks was embroiled in the rebellion from beginning to end. There followed a series of Militia regiments from all over Ireland and English and Scottish soldiers who served on garrison duty. This book tells the stories of all of them all of them. The book traces the growth of republicanism in the town, Wexford's reaction to the 1916 Rebellion and the gradual change in the attitude of the authorities and people of Wexford to an English Army stationed at the barracks. The war for independence, the civil war and the training of the LDF in the Second World War are all part of the story of this building. It is my aim as author of this book to highlight the importance of this historic building. Using rare and previously unpublished images from around the world, The Elite: The A-Z of Modern Special Operations Forces is the ultimate guide to the secretive world of modern special operations forces. It sends the reader back in time to operations such as Eagle Claw in Iran and the recapture of the Iranian Embassy in London and then forward to recent operations against al-Shabaab and Islamic State. Entries also detail units ranging from the New Zealand SAS Group to the Polish GROM, and key individuals from Iraq counter- terrorism strategist General Stanley McChrystal to Victoria Cross recipient SASR Corporal Mark Donaldson. Answering questions such as how much the latest four-tube night vision goggles worn by the SEALs in Zero Dark Thirty cost, which pistol is most widely employed by special operators around the world and why, and if SOF still use HALO jumps, this book is the definitive single-source guide to the world's elite special forces. Information provided by Monica Crofton Taken from www.easons.com 300 Paces Outside the Town Gate The Elite: The A-Z of Modern Special Operations Forces Author: Leigh Neville Publisher: Osprey Publishing ISBN: 9781472824295 Pages: 368 Price: €42.00 Author: Monica Crofton Where to buy: monicamcrofton@gmail.com ISBN: 978-1-5272-6681-0 Pages: 324 Price: €25.00 BOOKS

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