An Cosantóir

www.military.ie the defence forces magazine | 37 s Books A QuestIoN oF dutY: THE CURRAGH INCIDENT 1914 By: Paul O'Brien publisher: New Island Books (January, 2014) (newisland.ie) IsBN: 978-1-84840-314-7 price: €12.99 (PB) pages: 160 IN 1912 THE Ulster Volunteers were formed to block the introduction of Home Rule for Ireland. In response, the following year, the pro-Home Rule nationalist Irish Volunteers were formed. The Curragh Incident, or Curragh Mutiny, occurred in 1914 when the British government was believed to be preparing to use the army against the Ulster Volunteers to ensure the Home Rule Bill was enforced. A number of senior officers in the Curragh, most prominently General Gough, threatened to resign if such action took place and also offered their subordinate officers the option of resigning sooner than moving against the Ulster Unionists. In the end the Liberal government was forced into an embarrassing climb down, passing the incident off as an 'honest misunderstanding'. While often referred to as a mutiny, technically this wasn't the case as all of the officers involved intended to resign their commissions before refusing a direct order. The event contributed both to enhancing unionist confidence and to the growing Irish separatist movement, by convincing nationalists that they could not expect support from the British army in Ireland. In turn, this naturally increased nationalist support for the Irish Volunteers. This book gives a day-by-day account of the crisis and continues up to the start of World War One, where Kitchener's Army was then led by some of the senior figures from the Curragh Incident, whose loyalty was now in question by their military superiors and the government. In addition to military enthusiasts and historians, most soldiers will also enjoy this story as it deals with the age-old problem for military personnel of obeying orders even if you don't agree with them. WF ABout the Author: Paul O'Brien is a regular contributor to An Cosantóir, and a recent winner of the European Military Publisher Association (EMPA) 'Best Article' (2013) award for 'At the Gates of hell – Mali'. he has carried out extensive research in relation to Irish and British military deployments during the Easter Rising and has written a number of works focusing on the military aspects of the Rising. he is a keen collector of toy soldiers and currently resides in Dublin with his wife Marian, their new daughter Bláthnaid, and their two cats. BlACk FlAg By: Jake Morris publisher: Black Flag Books (January, 2014) sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc. AsIN: B00CxA0PNW pages: 349 price: €1.18 THE OPENING TAG-LINE says it all, "A find and a fix: that was the job. Locate the target, fix her to an address, observe and await further instructions. It should have been easy." What happens next is a roller coaster ride for ex-British Army veteran Owen Gallagher and his closest ex-military associates, who band together and revive their past military exploits while trying to save the kidnapped 'mark' they were contracted to watch! Captain Gallagher, a member of the Special Reconnaissance Regiment now retired, survives by doing off-the-books surveillance work for a government agency. Working alongside him is his trusted ex-platoon sergeant, Harry, or 'H' as he's more commonly called, who is an amputee. Both are veterans of the last Iraq war. With the other team members made up of a homeless, young ex-squaddie, a private security operative with anger-management issues and a collection of London gangsters to 'mix it up' old style. While trying to rescue their mark, a subplot escalates at a pace as terrorist cells try and draw the UK and US governments into a war against Iran. Black Flag is a modern, action-packed thriller that features everything from espionage, terrorism and PTSD sub-plots, with some dark humour thrown in for good measure, and the complex plot will keep you guessing until the end. If I could recommend just one fiction novel this year, this would have to be it; a surprising, and very likable read with real characters you want to follow until the end – I'm looking forward to the sequel. WF ABout the Author: Jake Morris (a pseudonym) is a former soldier, who holds a PhD in English literature and teaches writing to university students. he also supports disabled students in higher education - including ex-military personnel - and works to assist veterans organisations. Among his many interests, apart from writing, he is a voracious reader of fiction and non- fiction. he enjoys spending time with his dog and is a keen student of real ale. he can often be found listening to the Shipping Forecast and test Match Special. Any spare time is spent staring at the sea while pretending to catch fish. he lives in Cornwall, UK, where he is currently writing the sequel to Black Flag.

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