An Cosantóir

www.military.ie the defence forces magazine | 37 Author: Liz Gillis Publisher: Mercier Press (July 2016) www.mercierpress.ie isBN: 978-1781173756 Price: €15.99 Pages: 256 The Hales Brothers & The Irish Revolution is the latest work from renowned historian and author Liz Gillis. It tells the story of the Hales family from Bandon in Co Cork, in particular the brothers Seán and Tom Hales and charts their involvement in Ireland's struggle for independence from the Rising of 1916 through the War of Independence and then the subsequent Civil War. Tom and Seán orchestrated and participated in a number of attacks against British Forces throughout the region. They were closely connected and respected by their superiors that included well known republicans such as Michael Collins, Liam Deasy and Tom Barry. The Hales family as a whole suffered greatly at the hands of Crown Forces in Ireland having their house destroyed, suffering imprisonment and torture and being constantly on the run for a number of years. Gillis captures the brother's involvement in the War of Independence very well, bringing this period in history to life. However, it is the chapters on the Civil War where the author excels. When the Anglo Irish Treaty was signed in 1921, Seán supported the new Provisional Government while his brother Tom became a senior commander in the anti-Treaty forces and was involved in the ambush that led to the death of Michael Collins. John L. O' Sullivan recalled the shock that Seán felt on hearing the news of Collins death. "Together they had been interned in Frongoch for a number of months after the 1916 Rising and were always extremely close." In the aftermath of this tragic event the war escalated considerably and the brutality of that period is well captured within the pages that follow. Rather than a history book Gillis has written a great true story, not just about the Hales family, but a story that has similarities for every family that took part in Ireland's struggle for Independence and the Civil War that followed. It brings home the tragedy that affected all those families and the losses they suffered at the hands of former comrades in arms. This is an excellent read and highly recommended. PC the hales Brothers & the irish revolution Author: Angela Currie Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing (26 September 2015) www.createspace.com isBN: 978-1512357714 Price: €15.88 Pages: 452 "World war II rages in Europe and two British agents have lost their lives while trying to retrieve armaments plans from the German embassy in Madrid. British Intelligence realises that a completely new and unexpected approach is needed. They approach G2 (Irish Military Intelligence) with a daring proposal. Anna Fingal is a gifted linguist who works for the Department of Foreign Affairs in Dublin. She is blackmailed by her own country into aiding the Allied war effort. Seamus Halpin works for G2 and will accompany Anna on the mission. He has personal reasons for wanting to return to Madrid, to a city that continues to haunt him. Malcolm Mortimer works for British Intelligence. Initially sceptical about the use of Irish agents, his opinion changes as the mission progresses. His remit is to lead the mission and to succeed at any cost. These three diverse individuals become bound together in a world of espionage and deceit where survival and success for the mission is the ultimate goal. 'Angela Currie spins fictional gold as she delves into the dark shadows of espionage during World War II. Officially neutral Ireland supplies secret agents in Spain for the Allied war effort, but those who risk their lives must face enemies both at home and abroad. A wonderful debut novel." brendan Foley – 'Under the Wire' the training ground As World War II rages in Europe a young Irish woman is blackmailed into espionage by her own country Author: John Ellis Publisher: Scribners; 1st edition (1980) www.scribnerbooks.com isBN: 978-0684167282 Price: Varies Pages: 396 Mud, Blood, Terror and Tea. Some of the major components of the front line fighting man of the second world war. This outstanding book published in 1980 is a fascinating look at the last truly global conflict from the perspective of those who had to fight and die in it. It examines both the human story and the data from the period, it documents the trials, tribulations and often harrowing experiences from both the accounts of individual servicemen but also from notable works of studies and other published sources such as memories etc. It is vast in its scope and you get a sense that the author wanted to ensure that the true face of war would be exposed. His writing might stand a testimony to what the human spirit can endure even under stresses and extremes of danger beyond imagining. With so much information presented in such an engrossing read there are too many highlights, one feature throughout the book is the way in which the author was able to condense the figures to extract the key numbers of the fighting forces, the ratio of forward to rear echelon forces was huge and the disparity in losses was immense, the "sharp end" went forward again and again. The misery of the troops at the front brought them to the brink of physical and mental collapse, this could happen not only to the single rifleman but entire divisions or even armies could succumb to miserable weather and poor rations which when they appeared where often in insufficient quantity's and inedible. As a study of the effects of war on the combat troop this book is outstanding. Dismantling of some of the myths surrounding both the second world war and its exposure of the realities of combat it is both educational and emotive. Rdb the sharp end: The Fighting Man in WWII

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