An Cosantóir

An Cosantóir March 2016 www.dfmagazine.ie 44 | contributors: Fearghal McGarry (series editor), Darrell Figgis, Joseph Johnston, Padraig De Burca, Ernie O'Malley, Mossie Harnett & Patrick Sarsfield O'Hegarty Publisher: UCD Press (October 2015) www.ucdpress.ie iSbn: 9781910820032 Price: €54.00 As Irish people remember the events of 1916, they necessarily do so with hindsight. There is no one alive today that can give a first hand account of those seminal actions of 100 years ago, that would in time set Ireland on the road to independence. University College Dublin Press has, through its Centenary Classics series, reproduced six volumes that tell the story of the establishment of the Free State through those that lived and experienced these tumultuous changes in the nation's history. Civil War In Ulster by Joseph Johnston, originally published in 1913, takes the reader through the Third Home Rule Bill and the Ulster crisis that would in time set in motion many of the changes that would affect the country. The author, Darrell Figgis, who in the aftermath of the 1916 Rising was imprisoned at Reading Gaol, published his personal account in his work, A Chronicle of Jails, which was originally released in 1917. The book reveals much about political imprisonment and of what many Volunteers endured for Ireland's fight for independence. Rising Out, written by Ernie O'Malley, relates the story of Brigadier Seán Connolly, OC of the Longford Brigade, who was killed in action during the Irish War of Independence. O'Malley discovered the story of Connolly in the 1950s and his work brings to life the man and his battle against overwhelming forces during the Tan War. Free State or Republic? provides eye witness accounts by two reporters from the Irish Independent newspaper of the historic Treaty debates of Dáil Éireann. Originally published in 1922, Padraig de Burca and John F. Boyle capture the intensity of the discussion and gives us a window into the events of that December/January that would later plunge Ireland into Civil War. Victory and Woe, penned by Mossie Harnett, is an account of his life and service during the Irish War of Independence and Civil War when he commanded the 2nd Battalion, West Limerick Brigade of the Irish Volunteers. This book is a clear and concise account of one man's involvement in the armed struggle not only against the British but also later against the newly established Free State Government. P.S. O'Hegarty's work, The Victory of Sinn Féin, originally published in 1924, is an eyewitness account of events in Ireland from the Rising of 1916 to 1923. Described on the blurb as being written from the forgotten viewpoint of the Irish Republican Brotherhood, O'Hegarty, a pro-Treaty supporter, has penned a strong body of work that opposes those that wanted to continue a mandate of force after the ratification of the Treaty. This series of books are well produced and come in a sleeve that keeps the six volumes together. Each work is introduced by a leading historian of today, while the series introduction is given by Fearghal McGarry of Queen's University Belfast. These six works are contemporary and are of the time, and they reveal the mindset of people that lived through one of the most turbulent periods in Ireland's history. As Ireland continues its journey through the decade of centenaries, these books will appeal to those who are seeking first hand accounts of those major episodes and of those that made them happen. P'Ob Centenary Classics

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