Just Finished Reading: 1916 – The Mornings After: From the Courts Martial to the Tribunals by Tim Pat Coogan (FP: 2015) [311pp] 

This is not the book I was looking for. I had assumed (wrongly it turned out) that this was about the immediate aftermath of the 1916 Easter Rising in Dublin. It actually turned out to be MUCH broader than that. Essentially the book was in three parts. 

The first (roughly) third did indeed look at the Rising itself although it only got a handful of pages dedicated directly to it. Even so, I picked up a few more details I was previously unaware of. The rest of that section looked at the trials, executions and reception of the survivors. Quite quickly afterwards there was some discussion of the demands for Independence (post Great War) and Britains reluctance to grant such followed by the ‘compromise’ of essentially Dominion status within the Empire – the Irish Free State. Micael Collins (as well as others) saw this as ‘the freedom to work towards freedom’ but other hardliners saw it otherwise – as capitulation or defeat. Tensions between the pro and anti-treaty groups deepened and, no long after, they started fighting leading to the Irish Civil War and (finally) Independence and partition of the north (Ulster). Overall, it was a quick but reasonably detailed look at the period. 

The second section jumped forward to the 1960’s and the Troubles looking at things from both the perspective of the North and South. As the author (a journalist at the time) reported on and often knew the people involved this had both an interesting personal view of the period as well as a level of knowledgeable detail often missing from more professionally historical accounts. Again, I’m reasonably aware of the events covered – partially by reading about them in other works and partially from watching the events on the nightly news – but the authors insights and access gave them an extra valuable impact. 

The final section I found least interesting. Here the author turned much more polemical as he looked at the failures of Irish governance, the scandals inside the Catholic church and the financial failures that led to the Irish banking crisis post-2008. Again, as a journalist, the author both reported on and often interviewed the people involved so had a very good grasp of the events. I did, however, think that for a general (non-Irish) readership he went far too much into the weeds of things and more that once I found myself lost in the detail. A few times I honestly skim read bits just to get the gist of things. 

So, although this was somewhat disappointing for all of the reasons above I still picked up a few extra nuggets of knowledge and will be back to look at 1916 again – hopefully this time with the book and the focus I do want. Reasonable. 

Just Finished Reading: Michael Collins and the Troubles – The Struggle for Irish Freedom 1912-1922 by Ulick O’Connor (FP: 1975) [209pp] 

Tension in Ireland had been building for some time. Periodic rebellions across the island, although more prevalent in the South, had long been a feature of life there. As the 20th century progressed it became obvious, even to the British parliament in London that something needed to be done. The answer it seemed was to give Ireland a form of independence similar to the Dominion status of Canada and Australia within the British Empire. Not everyone, of course, was happy with the idea of Home Rule – both in England and in the north of Ireland specifically – and the passage of the Bill through parliament was far from easy. A further complication arose with the start of the Great War and Home Rule was delayed until after hostilities has ceased. Tensions, however, continued to rise with activists on both sides of the issue starting to arm and train for future conflict both in support of Home Rule (or indeed full Independence) or to fight against it. This culminated in the 1916 Easter Rising in Dublin and the subsequent brutal British response. With the end of the War in Europe talks began again regarding Home Rule with now three factions arming heavily – those in favour of the Home Rule bill being implemented, those fighting for full Independence from the British Empire and those fighting (in the northern counties) to remain within the Empire. A Civil War was brewing in Ireland and Michael Collins, one of the leaders in the Rising, was at the heart of things. 

This slim volume covered much of the ground I’d read about in various other books regarding this turbulent period in Anglo-Irish history. Despite being necessarily brief, it did manage to cover the Easter Rising in some detail over around 3-4 chapters and I picked up a few more insights into that pivotal event. It was interesting to see how the Rising could have been much more effective (or at least longer lasting) if the plan for a much wider rebellion had managed to go off as expected or if a large arms shipment from Germany had been delivered into Republican hands as planned. But what I took from this book was the importance of some of the leading players in the drama – and not only Collins himself. Although hundreds of men (and women!) took part in the Easter Rising itself and many thousands of others in the subsequent Civil War, it was the big players (mostly men, but with a few notable women too) who directed things for good or ill both in Ireland itself and within the English establishment in London. I’ll definitely be reading more about them going forward. I also wanted to read more about the leaders of the Rising who were arrested afterwards and eventually executed in England for treason.  

England has had a LONG and difficult relationship with its close neighbour to the west, and I’m really only just still scratching the surface of that troubled history. As I get older, I’m becoming more interested in my Irish heritage so want to understand the background to incidents such as this (for one thing I only discovered that Ireland even HAD a Civil War just a few years ago!) so expect more Ireland focused books in the years ahead. Oh, and just one other thing... Although Michael Collins does feature quite a bit in this book – especially in the second half – this isn’t really about him so much as the role he played in things during and after 1916. On the back, the book is classified as a Biography. It isn’t. But, as a well-written and concise look at the 10-year period from 1912-1922 its pretty good. More to come. 

Just Finished Reading: 1916 – Ireland's Revolutionary Tradition by Kieran Allen (FP: 2016) [196pp] 

This was yet another one of those books that turned out not to be exactly what I’d expected. Indeed, it was far more about its sub-title than its main title. Although the author did discuss the events of the Easter Rising in Dublin in 1916 (briefly) as well as the underlying reasons for both the event and its failure (briefly), the main thrust of this often deeply political work was what happened next and how those events echoed through the following century until the present. 

After the failure of the Uprising and the quite brutal British response (things never go well when you’re firing artillery down streets into enemy held buildings) Ireland secured partial independence from the British Empire followed by a short bloody Civil War and counter-revolution. Here I learnt exactly why southern Ireland became the poster child for religious conservatism on steroids. I never fully realised before just how much of a stranglehold the Catholic church had over just about every aspect of Irish life south of the border with Northern Ireland. Coupled with the political power they had access to 24-7 it’s hardly surprising that a clamp down on unions, socialist politics in general (the fear of *communism* was the foundation of much of this and, it seemed, communism was defined as anything that even smelt of social justice or freedom of thought), abortion, divorce, women in any position of power or influence, women in higher education, essentially women as anything other than baby factories (within wedlock naturally) chained to the kitchen sink. Oh, and no access to contraception of any kind, indeed no universal access to healthcare of any kind – unless you could pay through the nose for it, or travel to England which amounted to the same thing. This didn’t really begin to change until the 1970’s and only really got going in the 80’s and beyond.  

On top of this was, as we know, the situation in the North with the minority Catholic community in the separated 6 Counties living under the heel of the majority Protestant community. As you might expect it wasn’t long until fighting broke out as it had been bubbling under for some time. As you’d also expect the Catholics got the rough end of things which prompted both a backlash from organisations like the IRA and the involvement of the British military – AKA ‘The Troubles’.  

Looked at from a very Left-wing perspective - (I hesitate to go so far as to say Marxist, but Karl does come up quite a bit throughout the book) as much of the countries revolutionary tradition/history centres around the life and thought of James Connolly (who I definitely need to read up about!) who was a devoted Socialist/Syndicalist and was a big fan of the bearded one – this was an often fascinating, if at times deeply political look at Irish history post-1916. I think I had a fair, if general, knowledge of Irish history over the last 100 years but I learnt a LOT in less than 200 pages which is cool. Definitely of interest to anyone who wants to dive deeper into Irish political history, though if you’re a novice to this country’s past I’d start with something a bit lighter! More on ‘1916’ to come. 

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Just Finished Reading: Blood of the Isles – Exploring the Genetic Roots of our Tribal History by Bryan Sykes (FP: 2006) [339pp] 

This is apparently the first ever book published on the genetic heritage of the British Isles. Previously, the foundations of the Isles have either been shrouded in myth, based on sometimes questionable historic documents or, going back into deep history, evidence from archaeological sites and ancient monuments. The question for the author, and his scientific team from Oxford University, was both what they could add to this story and what they could clarify. For example, how much change did the Anglo-Saxon migration to the British mainland accomplish? Was it, as some historians portray, a series of invasions (complete with significant displacement or replacement of locals) or was it a more gradual and much more peaceful process. Other questions revolve around the impact – partial or not – of the Viking occupation of North-western England for several centuries and, naturally, the long-term impact of the Norman Invasion in 1066 (to say nothing of the much earlier Roman occupation). 

Interestingly, for a science Geek like me, the author went to great lengths to show the team’s work – essentially how they went about collecting a significantly large number of samples from across the Isles. Back in those days [grin] the knowledge and appreciation of genetic fingerprints was much lower than it is today. So, first they had to convince people to hand over their genetic data which, naturally, they thought would be a hard sell. It turned out to be nothing of the sort. Using the opportunity to speak to people at their local Blood Transfusion Service, they asked if they could have some of their blood and asked for any ancestry details that they were willing to divulge. Almost everyone without exception said YES. Again, back in those days it took somewhat longer to derive results from the samples, so the project was a long one. But once the results began being complied it was clear that the effort and the wait were worth it. 

It would seem that the genetic make-up of the Isles has changed very little – despite all of the known historical events – from the original pre-Roman ‘base’. Not only did the Romans have a negligible impact on the British/English genome it had, as we might expect, none in Wales, Ireland or Scotland. A good part of the explanation for this was that the majority of Roman soldiers based in Britain were not in fact Italian but, rather, Germanic or from Gaul – the very peoples that had either already settled in Britain or who would shortly do so. Interestingly, the Viking occupation of the Danelaw also had only a slight impact on the local DNA. This was, again as you might suspect, significantly more pronounced – though still only a minority stake – in places like the Shetland Islands and parts of west Scotland. One thing that made me smile, being a fan on the Anglo-Saxons, was the fact that the Norman Invasion barely registered on the countries DNA despite the deaths of many of the Anglo-Saxon great and good. It would seem that the Norman DNA (which was essentially Scandinavian DNA already here) wasn’t different enough to show up in the results. From my own personal view – that of my Irish and Scottish ancestry – the author confirmed what I had already come across in various books on the subject, that the west of Ireland and the east of Scotland have had a LONG history of mixing which might just explain at least some of my Scottish DNA. 

If you’re looking into your ancestry from these islands – including England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales – you could do far worse than start here. This will certainly give you a good grounding in the genetic history of those countries as well as some appreciation of how things changed over time and the general movement of peoples into and within the British Isles. More to come. Recommended. 

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Just Finished Reading: Blood of the Celts – The New Ancestral Story by Jean Manco (FP: 2015) [205pp] 

Originally thinking that both sides of my family could trace their roots back to Ireland, I’ve long considered myself a Celt and have equally long been interested in all things Celtic. I was gratified (if a little confused) by the DNA confirmation that I am indeed 94% Celtic with a 62-32% Irish-Scottish split. The confusion comes from the Scottish angle as I have yet to find any Scottish ancestors in any branch of my family tree. This interesting and intriguing book provides a hint of a possible answer to that mystery. 

Delving (naturally) into DEEP European history, the author looks at the origin of the Celts highlighted by burial style, grave objects and in particular pottery. Changes in these styles across Europe give clear evidence of the spread of Celtic culture and trade across the Continent, Scandinavia and, of course, the British Isles including Ireland. With much of our earliest knowledge of Celtic history and culture coming from interactions with Greek travelers and Roman conquerors, the author spends some time looking at Celtic Gaul and the impact of its Romanisation – essentially a sustained migration of Celts from Gaul/France to the British Isles with, naturally, an impact on the local Britain’s. Likewise, as the Roman juggernaut crossed the Channel and began the occupation of Britain the Celts moved North and West away from them (as much as possible) and into Wales and across to Ireland. The bit that helped me understand, or at least appreciate, the Scottish aspect in my own history is the fact that commerce – both in the trade sense and in the genetic sense – was taking place between the Celtic heartlands in Ireland, Wales and Western Scotland for centuries (indeed for millennia) which might very well account for the 32% due to the slow accretion of DNA over the years. At least it’s a thought until I find something a bit more concrete.  

As you can imagine, this was a DEEP dive into my ancestral gene pool and, although it didn’t give me a whole lot to work with, it still provided both food for thought and a much deeper understanding of all things Celtic. I liked the author's style of writing and she very clearly ‘knew her stuff’. If you’ve ever wondered about the Celts, and especially if you have (or think you have) Celtic blood flowing through your veins, this is definitely an excellent introduction to the subject. Likewise, if you have an interest in ancient (and sometimes dead or dying) languages – including Celtic – this volume will give you some interesting insights and ideas to follow up on. Recommended. More ancestry deep dives coming soon.

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Just Finished Reading: The Border – The Legacy of a Century of Anglo-Irish Politics by Diarmaid Ferriter (FP: 2019) [146pp] 

The border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland is in the news again. When both the UK and the RoI were both in the European Union it was, in effect, invisible. Brexit, of course, changed all that. Naturally with the history of both sides and especially the more recent history of ‘The Troubles’ that particular borders issues are going to be complicated. But these complications go back to the start of its existence with the end of the Irish Civil War and, indeed, in some ways back to the boundaries of the counties created in the 17th and 18th centuries. As I said, complicated. 

Because Ireland was under British rule for centuries prior to the Irish Civil War (28 June 1922 – 24 May 1923) and the subsequent partition the county boundaries were practically meaningless. Borders ran down the center of roads, through parts of villages and between milking sheds and pastures. The Boundary Commision created to settle these issues failed to do so as neither the South nor the North was willing to trade territory for rationality. But being practical people at heart, the Irish either ignored the border or found ways to work (and walk) around it. With so many crossing points and so little surveillance available, smuggling was both rife and highly profitable. Again, this was (mostly) tolerated and largely ignored. There was just no practical way to stop it. Then things turned NASTY with The Troubles and the attempt to stop cross border incidents. Slowly crossing points were reduced, hardened and surveillance increased. The border was still permeable – there wasn’t any way to make it secure without building an Iron Curtain equivalent which no one wanted and would’ve been prohibitively expensive – but at least some control was possible. Then came the Good Friday/Belfast Agreement and the border posts were dismantled, bridges between communities literally re-built and things started moving again. Economic and cross border, cross culture ties increased and people on both sides started to put the bad old days behind them. Then, as we all know, came Brexit. 

Not surprisingly the Northern Irish border was one of THE main sticking points in any negotiations with the EU. But as my friends and I discussed it there was obviously a flaw in the UK’s ‘plan’. Now obviously you can’t have a wide-open border between the UK (in the guise of Northern Ireland) and the EU (in the guise of the Republic of Ireland) once the UK left. At the same time, you couldn’t have a HARD border between the two entities because of the Belfast Agreement and subsequent cross-border processes and organisations. To square that particular circle the UK proposed a ‘frictionless’ border with customs checks taking place automatically with new (as yet to be developed) technology. This magically process was accepted by both sides at the last minute in order to avoid a no-deal Brexit and all of the consequences that would follow from that. Of course, this magical tech has yet to appear (years later) and undoubtedly will never appear because, spoiler alert, it’s MAGIC. 

So, if the Irish border issue has ever caused you to scratch your head and wonder what all the fuss is about, this is definitely the book for you. I learnt a LOT from this short and very well written (and sometimes honestly hilarious) history of a sometimes very contentious line on a map. Definitely more coming on Irish history from this author. 

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Just Finished Reading: Luck and the Irish – A Brief History of Change, 1970-2000 by R F Foster (FP: 2007) [189pp] 

Ireland changed a LOT in the last 3rd of the 20th century. From a reasonably poor and largely agrarian society they emerged as a Celtic tiger with high-tech industries flocking to their shores. They (largely) threw off the power of the Catholic church after numerous sexual scandals as well as the growing agitation for the right to divorce, contraception and abortion. Improvements in education and a massive increase in students going to university helped power the economic miracle and joining the European Union opened up markets for their increasingly sophisticated products. After years of political strife (and political corruption) things began to calm down in Eire itself and in relations to the counties in Northern Ireland. Alongside the flowering of economic and political possibilities came the explosion of Irish culture as a global phenomenon from Riverdance to U2 as well as breakthrough novelists and poets. From a European backwater, Ireland had in a very short time become a world player in a host of areas. 

It became obvious very quickly that my knowledge of modern Irish history was scanty to say the least. Many of the names mentioned of politicians and industry leaders were completely unknown to me or rang very faint bells at best. Funnily, the section on political corruption around the granting of building permits which brought down the government in the 70’s did ring a bell – but from my reading of an Ireland based crime novel! With such a low level of knowledge to comfort me I honestly struggled with this (at least to begin with) and, overall, it took me at least a day longer than anticipated to read it. Although I shouldn’t have been (really), I was quite surprised by the power of the Catholic church before they fell from grace. I had little idea that they had the power of veto in much in the political realm as well as de facto rights to sensor TV, radio and newspapers almost as they saw fit. Only after the scandals did this power diminish and then, largely, vanish.  

It was interesting to read about the ‘Troubles’ in the North but from the other side. I’d read a little about the IRA in Northern Ireland (and, of course, watched a great deal of it as it unfolded on the nightly news) but I hadn’t really considered it from the South’s PoV. That chapter, as well as subsequent bits scattered throughout the book, definitely filled in that gap in my knowledge. The culture section was a bit of a strange on (to me at least) as I was aware of much of the great music coming out of Ireland in this period – being a BIG fan of U2 in the 80’s at university and beyond – but talk of authors and poets were often new to me. I’d heard of people like Edna O’Brien (and tried to read her books back in my youth) but not many of the other authors. The poets completely passed me by. 

Overall, despite the effort it took in parts, this was an interesting and informative read. It certainly filled a gap (or at very least illuminated a void) in my knowledge of our near neighbour and the home of a goodly percentage of my ancestors. Much more on the island of Ireland to come – both ancient and modern. 

Just Finished Reading: The King and the Catholics – The Fight for Rights 1829 by Antonia Fraser (FP: 2018) [281pp] 

I remember, after reading the authors previous book on the Gunpowder Plot, how shocked I was at the treatment of Catholics in England after that event. Some of it I knew in passing – for example the fact that (until VERY recently) a British monarch could not marry a Catholic – but most of it came as somewhere between a surprise and a shock. The author goes into a LOT more detail in this often-fascinating book. 

Starting with the infamous Gordon Riots of 1780 (immortalised in Barnaby Rudge by Dickens) brought on by the Catholic Relief Act which incidentally caused property damage in London not surpassed till the Blitz in the 1940’s, the author follows the arguments for and the protests against the idea that Catholics in England should be treated as normal citizens rather than being automatically suspected of being (at the very least potential) traitors to the State. It was long believed (at least by some) that English Catholics had divided loyalties and when there was a conflict between State and Pope that the Pope would always prevail. No protestations of loyalty or even acts proving such counted for much – religion trumped all other interests. In the first quarter of the 19th century a Catholic could not sit in the House of Lords (despite being a Lord), could not be elected as a Member of Parliament, could not be an officer commanding men in battle [I’m not sure how low in rank this went and certainly rank and file Catholics were accepted as long as they were under English Protestant command], Catholic priests could not openly celebrate Mass nor (legally) perform marriages [Side Note: It was long the process that a Catholic marriage had to be registered officially – for a time TWO marriage services had to be performed, one Catholic and one Church of England. As far as I know my parents had to be registered separately as married AFTER they were actually married in a Catholic ceremony. I understand that in these more enlightened times a registrar attends the Catholic ceremony so that the legality of the marriage is assured without the need of anything further], nor were Catholic schools allowed and SO much more. Catholics, even high-ranking ones, were almost second-class citizens and, as far as I know, there was talk/proposals to make Catholics wear distinctive clothing or something obvious to recognise them in public (all the better to discriminate against them – naturally). Oh, and I almost forgot, religious symbols like the Cross could not be displayed or even imported into the country. 

Things were somewhat different in Ireland (not yet independent or partitioned) and there was a LONG running perception of the ‘Irish Problem’ which had strong links naturally to the ‘Catholic Problem’. It was at least technically possible to elect a Catholic MP in Ireland although it was considered highly unlikely with Protestant landowners essentially running things. But it was such an MP, in the guise of Daniel O’Connell, who finally forced the dam to break resulting in the Act of 1829. Of course, he didn’t do this himself despite being a consummate political operator. The tide was, slowly, moving in the direction of Catholic emancipation (which was believed would lead to ever growing emancipation in other areas – which it did) for a whole host of reasons – many of which hadn’t crossed my mind until the author pointed them out. It’s possible that forces within England and the rest of Europe, indeed in what could later be called the ‘West’ meant that all citizens of all religious affiliations would eventually have been treated equally but things would have moved much slower if a number of very had working and persuasive people had not made herculean efforts to make it so. 

Told with exhaustive (but not exhausting) detail this was an absorbing insight into early 19th century British politics which was in the process of modernising itself to more closely reflect the modern age into which it was moving. I really had no idea just how difficult it was being a Catholic before 1829 and it was really enlightening to discover this aspect of my nominal faith. Definitely recommended for anyone interested in British and Irish history or in the confluence of religion and politics.  

Just Finished Reading: Seashaken Houses – A Lighthouse History from Eddystone to Fastnet by Tom Nancollas (FP: 2018) [226pp] 

For centuries the coast around the UK and Ireland were renowned for being treacherous. Countless ships, from the early Greeks in search of tin from Cornwall to the Spanish Armada and beyond founded on rocks – both known and unknown – within sight of safe harbour. With only rudimentary navigational aids resulting in only roughly knowing where a ship actually was at any given moment it was only the volatile mixture of luck and experience that saved (or doomed) ships, crews and cargoes. As Britain’s maritime trade and power increased something needed to be done to make the transport of goods, people and the projection of growing Imperial might safer. Part of that process was the improvement of navigation and the building of lighthouses on shore to alert sailors to hazards further out to sea. But shore-based lighthouses can only do so much. What was really needed were lighthouses close to (or actually on!) the hazardous rocks themselves. Starting in the late 17th century and culminating in the early 20th a string of lighthouses were constructed in some of the least hospitable places imaginable. With only hours between tides groups of braze men dug foundations in unforgiving rock to construct towers of granite (having learnt the HARD way that wood and iron stood little chance against the fury of the sea) that needed to stand against the furious assault of towering waves. They had to be constructed in such a way that they could be supplier with men and material to sustain them and the all-important light that shone across the troubled waters to sailors and ship captains trying to bring their charges home safe to port. This excellent little book is their story covering the early attempts at lighthouse (or simply lights on poles!) design, construction and technological progress from candle power to LED and from manpower to automation. It’s a hell of a story. 

Told by someone who has both a fascination and love for these odd dwellings – essentially ‘houses’ designed to be built in the sea and survive for decades or longer as the oceans try to take the land back to its own domain – this was a lovely little book and an honestly riveting read. I knew a little about lighthouses going in and have seen a few (at a distance) but had no idea who built/designed them – including the family of R L Stephenson – nor the effort that went into their construction and all in a time, remember, when buildings went up without any aid from or knowledge of the data sets present day designers and engineers take for granted. This is a marvelous look at an aspect of maritime history that is far too often overlooked or sidelined. Definitely recommended for anyone interested in the sea or slightly ‘odd-ball’ architecture. More to come on this subject! 

Just Finished Reading: Bitter Freedom – Ireland in a Revolutionary World 1918-1923 by Maurice Walsh (FP: 2015) [432pp]

It was a promise and one that the Irish were determined to have paid in full. When the Government of Ireland Act was passed (also known as the Home Rule Act) in 1914 it was the first time that power had been devolved to any part of the UK and not a colonial territory. Unfortunately for the Irish, eager to have a substantial say in their own government the First World War intervened and the Act was put on hold for the duration. But the clock was ticking and, in 1918, the alarm went off – and alarm it was. When the British government dragged their feet, worried over the implications in the rest of the Empire and Dominions, the Irish protested and agitated for exactly what had been promised them – to no avail. The Irish were told to wait, as they had been waiting for centuries, until the ‘time was right’. But patience was at an end. Pamphlets, newspaper articles and even strikes were no longer enough. Civil disobedience, passive resistance and talks of outright rebellion circulated but still the British demurred. Part of the issue was the Irish predicted inability, through inexperience more than anything else, to govern themselves. The detractors had a point and the proto-Irish government privately conceded the point. In response a ‘shadow’ government was announced to the world and was, at least at first, viewed by most as little more than a joke. It wasn’t long through before people stopped laughing. Slowly the Irish politicians became more professional and more of the Irish State apparatus fell under their remit. The British courts were increasingly ignored with cases decided by local Irish magistrates, taxes were collected and used for Irish needs rather than to aid the British administration of Ireland. Slowly power shifted with or without British say so or their co-operation. In danger of being made irrelevant the British government struck back.

With an increased police presence and a growing use of British armed force the Irish were presented with a choice. They could submit and wait or they could fight. They chose to fight. Fully aware that they could not defeat the combined forces of the British Empire they decided to make Ireland ungovernable. The British, for their part, decided to use ‘any means necessary’ to enforce their rule. As can be imagined the result was chaos, suffering and death. As the fighting progressed, deepened and spread neither side could ‘lose face’ and retire from the combat. Attack begat reprisal, burning of villages begat attacks on isolated police stations, arrests and executions begat assassinations. It got bad, really bad. As the months and years dragged on and the dead piled up on both sides finally calmed heads prevailed. Both sides realised that they couldn’t go on like this. It was time to compromise – Ireland would have Home Rule but would still be part of the Empire and would still owe allegiance to the British monarch. Although this was a bitter pill it could be swallowed and sold to the long suffering population as a victory and as a major step on the path to full independence in the future. Despite arguments in the Irish ranks the deal was done and Ireland was finally free. But not, it seemed, free of conflict. A strong faction within the Irish administration wanted full independence now and not at some indeterminate point in the future and they were prepared to fight for it – even if they had to fight their own people to do so. After the briefest of pauses and after most British troops had left the country the Irish Civil War erupted on the streets of Dublin with the sound of artillery fire not heard there since 1916.

It was interesting to see events that I’m reasonably familiar with embedded within the context of both global and imperial events of the era. After all the events of 1918-1923 took place during the Russian revolution and subsequent Civil War which resulted in a Bolshevik scare that drifted across Europe and even into the United States. This was also a time of unrest in India (the Amritsar Massacre took place in 1919) and agitation in both Canada and Australia for greater autonomy and it was the age of ‘Self-determinism’ and Wilson’s 14 points. Without setting the Irish situation within this framework some of the acts on both sides can seem almost inexplicable. Context is, as they say, everything and context is something we get in spades in this excellent work of history. Being of southern Irish descent I do find digging into that troubled countries history endlessly fascinating. Although my father didn’t talk much about his family’s history there – he left the country when he was 10 – I did come across some names, organisations (such as the hated ‘Black & Tans’) and events that he had mentioned over the years. That in itself was thought-provoking enough for me. Others without such a personal connection to the area will, I think, find it equally interesting to see what the Irish people had to go through to gain the things that many at that time and especially today take for granted – the ability to run their own affairs without reference to an alien authority. Definitely recommended for a whole host of reasons. Much more to come.   

Just Finished Reading: The Deluge – The Great War and the Remaking of Global Order (1916-1931) by Adam Tooze (FP: 2014)

No doubt it was offered with the very best of intentions however naïve. But all the same the idea was like political acid – self-determination. Never fully explained or even understood it meant many things to many people and that, at its heart, was the problem. Throughout Europe and the wider world the idea of the right to and expectation of self-determination worked its magic helping to break up old empires and create countries out of whole cloth. It encouraged people’s, previously disenfranchised, to rise up against their governments to be allowed their own homeland and equal rights in the eyes of the law, and it brought democracy where none had previously existed. The Genie was very much out of the bottle and no one, even at gun point, was going to put it back in – although some would try very hard indeed.

Of course principles are easy to state, safely between two oceans with little or nothing to lose by the statement. Living up to the same principles when they hit the hard reality of international politics was something else. The easy part was returning Alsace-Lorraine to France (despite the number of ethnic Germans living there). The harder part was countries like Poland which had to be carved out of the pre-existing territories of Germany, Russia and others. Most especially difficult was the provision of natural resources and, more importantly, access to the sea at Danzig. No self-determination there just hard economics, realpolitik and hard bargaining. Even those on the ground could see that the Polish solution was storing up problems for the future. But that was for the newly formed League of Nations to resolve or at least that was the idea before it was effectively emasculated by its Byzantine internal set of rules in an attempt to appear fairer than it in fact was as well the aspect that America never took up its place at the table to spare any future European entanglements.

As a forward looking people the Americans – in the public guise of President Wilson – had little interest in Europe’s Imperial past. They did have an interest in the world’s economic future, unrestricted access to new markets, an open seas policy enforced by a navy at least the equal of Britain’s and the speedy recovery of war debt accrued by the Entente powers. Almost as important in many eyes was the restriction of Japanese expansionism within China and throughout Asia. Not only did the US consider the Pacific to be within their sphere of influence but they thought of the Japanese themselves with a mixture of suspicion and contempt. The US policy towards China itself was hardly coherent and managed to send mixed signals to both the Japanese and Chinese authorities which did little to help stabilise that chaotic region.

At the centre of everything were two countries fighting in many ways for their very existence – Germany and Russia. Germany was the vanquished foe trying to recover from the heavy blow of defeat and the heavier blow of post-Versailles reparations. Stumbling from government to government, fighting elements from both the hard-left and the hard-right, it had an uncertain future. Russia meanwhile was trying to decide between being a failed state or a pariah state. After the 1917 revolution, the declaration of a separate peace with Germany and a descent into years of Civil War the newly formed Soviet Union, birthed in a sea of blood, began to take its place on the world stage. Contained for now by the western powers it still had the capacity, real or imagined, to infect the rest of the world with the ideas of universal Communism. It was in many ways a useful bogeyman.

In this truly formidably impressive work the global chaos caused by 5 years of war, the likes of which had never been seen before, is laid out for all to see and the echoes of this great conflict are followed through as they impacted countries as diverse as Japan and Ukraine. Despite its world spanning reach and its 15 year timeline the detail presented between these 500+ pages is awe inspiring. It is by no means an easy read but the effort is amply rewarded and then some. Not only does the author clearly explain exactly the damage – political, economic and in a real sense moral – caused by the war but he also (again very clearly) shows how this often unresolved and unaddressed damage significantly facilitated an even greater disaster a mere two decades later. The author rightly points out that although World War Two was not the inevitable result of its predecessor the fact that systemic problems in the world system after 1918 were not addressed – even when known about and warned about – meant that any realistic options for peace were increasingly closed off between then and 1939. This is an important work and a must read for anyone who wants to understand exactly how we got here. I can think of much worse places to start if you’re willing to put the time and brain effort into it. Highly recommended. 

Just Finished Reading: Killers of the King – The Men who Dared to Execute Charles I by Charles Spencer (FP: 2014)

They knew the risks. But they had no choice, not really. Despite being beaten on multiple occasions during the bloody Civil Wars the King was adamant – he was appointed by God and only God could remove him. Certainly Parliament had no jurisdiction over him and could not legally put him on trial for his actions in the Wars. But a trial was held and his execution was ordered – for the safety of Parliament and the New Model Army who had so ably resisted him if nothing else. When the axe fell and the head rolled the gasp of horror was heard around Europe – the English had killed their king and had offended God. They were outcasts on the world stage to be left without a single ally. Despite everything and the growing number of enemies both foreign and domestic the Interregnum (honestly one of my favourite words of all time) survived – at least for as long as its Protector Oliver Cromwell lived. But soon after his death calls for a return to monarchy became louder by the day. It was not long before Charles II, the murdered king’s son and heir, returned to England to take up the throne to popular acclaim. Promising only limited retribution – lest he start another uprising – only seven names were put forward for legal consequence. Confident that they would face no more than a loss of position, rank and land they gave themselves up to the king’s mercy. But the new king was far from feeling mercy for the killers of his father. Tried and convicted of High Treason each of the judges who passed sentence on their rightful Lord was publically executed in the most brutal fashion. Then, his thirst for vengeance only beginning the king ordered the drawing up of a list of everyone directly or indirectly involved in the unspeakable crime of regicide. It was time to run, to hide or to plead for mercy.

When the list was finally compiled it came to over forty names – every judge, every lawyer and every man who signed the death warrant was ordered to give themselves up to the authorities or they and their families would face the consequences. Many did so, more to protect their families and their estates more than trusting in the forgiveness of the king. Some hid and eventually gave themselves up. Some ran and were caught fleeing or betrayed by others. Some fled and were hunted down and assassinated by royal assent. Some fled and fought and lived a precarious life never knowing who to trust or when the assassin’s knife would finally find them. Some fled as far as the New World colonies hoping for a new life in a place where they could vanish into the wilderness whilst still looking over their shoulders at every noise and being suspicious of every stranger. Only when Charles II had been replaced in the Glorious Revolution of 1688 could the few remaining regicides finally breathe free air. After so many years in hiding and in fear of their lives it was a small mercy.

Obviously the Civil Wars of the 17th Century loom large in English history and I have a reasonable familiarity with them. The great battles of the Wars and the New Model Army in particular were taught in great detail in school and, I remember, were very much taught from a Parliamentary point of view (despite still being a constitutional monarchy). What I didn’t realise, despite knowing about the Restoration and the subsequent Glorious Revolution, was that Charles II spent a great deal of time, effort and gold hunting down and killing his father’s murderers. It just never really crossed my mind that he’s do that (although it’s pretty obvious that he would once he was in power!). This excellent page turner of a book most certainly filled in a gap in my countries historical knowledge – which I really like. It was also nice to get away from modern times for a while. The Civil Wars are a fascinating time (from the distance of over 350 years) and through up some truly modern political ideas. They also changed the monarchy forever despite Charles’s intentions otherwise. Highly recommended for anyone interested in English history. More to come on this period! (R6)

Just Finished Reading: The Republic – The Fight for Irish Independence 1918-1923 by Charles Townshend (FP: 2013)

Between 1918 and 1923 something quite dramatic happened in Ireland. From an important member of the British Empire considered vital to the defence of the British mainland a short 5 years later it had achieved a form of political settlement close to independence. How this happened is told with exquisite detail in this frankly fascinating book. Told with a consummate style I had come to expect from his previous work on the 1916 Uprising (the Centenary of which no doubt will be celebrated by many next year) the author shows how largely through mistake and miscalculation by the British government and Military an always troublesome country was lost to rebellion.

Although the seeds of the break with Britain lay deep in the past the more recent events of 1916, and more particularly the British heavy handed response to what they saw as a calculated stab in the back during wartime, laid the political and more importantly mythical foundations for what was to come. Already on the edge of revolt – England’s troubles being Ireland’s opportunity was a common refrain – things came to a head in 1918 when the British parliament proposed a compulsory draft of Irish men to help England raise enough troops to final defeat Germany. Although grumbling was expected outright and active resistance was not. This was a big enough mistake made worse by the threat of the use of force to ensure that enough men where pressed into service (no one, the author wryly points out, thought that training potential future rebels in modern weapons and tactics was a poor idea). When first passive and then active resistance to the proposed law – never actually brought into force – lit a fuse across the country it ignited an easily predictable explosion of violence that the authorities where singularly ill equipped to handle. This was the birth of the Irish Republican Army, a shadow Government of the Irish Free State and years of tit-for-tat killings between Catholics, Protestants and English forces across the whole country.

Whilst active rebellion ebbed and flowed and the British attempted to stamp it out in haphazard fashion all sides worked for an acceptable and viable political solution – although starting from very different positions and with very different aims. The British where determined to keep Ireland within the Empire with at the very best Dominion status. The Southern Catholics demanded complete Independence and the Northern Protestants wanted their own safe homeland forever linked to mainland Britain. Typically no one got anywhere near what they wanted although the emergence of what became known as Northern Ireland or Ulster came closest to what the Protestants in that area demanded. By 1923 the South had, after rebellion and a short lived Civil War, accepted a quasi-independence as a Free State still nominally within the Empire and equally nominally under the rule of the British crown. England had managed to keep the Empire together but only just and was more likely glad to see the back of such a troublesome neighbour.

Of course this brief overview does not do justice to either the author, this heavily detailed book or to the times themselves. To say that things where complicated is an understatement of historic proportions. The author manages, with a great deal of much needed gallows humour, to tease out the salient facts, analyse the strategies of all involved and give insights into the thinking of the men (and women) who fought for and against an independent Ireland. I had some idea of what went on back then – both from previous reading and a few snatches of conversation with my Irish born father – but it was good to see for myself what went on in the country of my forefathers. An important read for anyone interested in the Irish Question or for those of us with Irish blood in our veins.          

Just Finished Reading: Fatal Path – British Government and Irish Revolution 1910-1922 by Ronan Fanning (FP: 2013)

Between 1910 and 1922 the British government followed, according to the author, a fatal path that moved Ireland from a part of the British Isles and the Empire (indeed often seen as a vital component of both) to being an independent and deeply divided state along religious boundaries. Largely through inaction, vacillation, ignorance and not a little arrogance – to say nothing of the reluctance to face up to the issues and actually attempt to resolve them – the British lost Ireland and gained a new and problematically co-dependent partner in Ulster, which almost 100 years later is still awaiting a resolution satisfactory to all parties.

Of course Ireland has been a problem to the English crown for centuries before the third attempt at Home Rule (far short of independence) was raised in the early years of the 20th century in an attempt to quiet the Irish on the issue of an independence that the British mainland nation thought them incapable of. Inevitably though things quickly founded on the issue of religion. Ireland as a whole was largely a Catholic nation with a small Protestant minority largely concentrated in the 6 (or 9 depending on who you spoke to) northern counties. Determined not to be ruled by the Catholics they despised they demanded exclusion from any deal struck with the rest of the country. With the British government in London strongly sympathetic they got the hearing they wanted and, just to be sure, imported a significant number of rifles and other equipment under the noses (or more likely the blind eyes) of the existing authorities. If they were not given autonomy they would simply take it. Inevitably this was unacceptable to the majority southern Catholics and any possibility of successful talks collapsed. Then, in 1914, the Irish Question was shelved to deal with something far more pressing – The Great War.

It was a war that no one really expected to last very long. So when it dragged on and on both sides – North and South – dug in, accumulated arms (far more in the North than the South) and waited impatiently. But seeing England’s difficulty as Ireland’s opportunity a small group of Catholics tried to move things along with the Easter Uprising in 1916. The expected backlash by the British was brutal (after all they had, they felt, just been stabbed in the back whilst fighting for their lives in Europe) and paradoxically did the Republican’s work for them. After that there was much less talk of Home Rule and more talk of Independence. When the war ended (sadly not the war to end all wars) and things began moving – rather inching – forward the stumbling block of Ulster would not go away. Nor did it after the 6 counties effectively declared themselves fully separate from the rest of the island of Ireland. The existence (or promise or even hope) of a boundary commission to settle things once and for all turned out to be little more than an agreeable political fiction. The short sharp Civil War that followed – between the Nationalists and Republicans in the South and against the Unionists in the North finally settled things to no one’s satisfaction with the emergence of the Irish Free State later to become Eire. So it has lasted to the present.

I knew a little bit about this – it’s a subject difficult to avoid living just across a small patch of water from the country involved, being born a Catholic in Liverpool and living through the Troubles (again fortunately at some distance from them!). It was interesting just to see how we got into this mess through years of political manoeuvre, shady deals, compromise, misunderstanding and, to be honest, not a little cynical double-dealing. As I said: politics.  Although clearly an expert on the period I did think that the author laboured his points a little too much and I thought repeated himself a few times too often. I suppose that I should have realised that the focus of the book was on the British government’s side of things and I did find myself wondering about the Irish side of things. Of course this wasn’t really what the thrust of the book was about, so it’s my own fault that I found things a little slow, or sometimes went into detail regarding things I didn’t find particularly interesting.

Fortunately (for me anyway) the last book in this triple-header on Ireland is exactly that – largely the same slice of time but from the Republican viewpoint. Overall this certainly wasn’t a bad book though I did find parts a bit of a struggle and a bit dull. But I’d lay the fault at my door rather than at the author’s. A valuable book for anyone interested in the period.        

Just Finished Reading: Making Sense of The Troubles – A History of the Northern Ireland Conflict by David McKittrick and David McVea (FP: 2000/2012)

I was 8 years old when what euphemistically became known as The Troubles began. Fortunately as a catholic I lived on the other side of the Irish Sea and so wasn’t ever directly involved. What would have happened to me if I’d been born in Northern Ireland doesn’t really bear thinking about. There but for the Grace of God and all that jazz…

Of course the outbreak of violence from 1968 onwards until the Good Friday Agreement in 1998 was a long time coming which probably explained its depth and ultimate longevity. Since Northern Ireland was hived off from the rest of Ireland in 1921-22 (of which more later in subsequent books on the region) the situation was stable in appearance only. With the domination of the Six Counties by a solid Protestant majority the Catholic minority, increasingly marginalised, could only suffer in silence or revolt. In the spirit of the 1960’s and following on the idea from MLK in America they chose revolt in the form of Civil Rights demonstrations, rent strikes and other political activities. With tensions already high in both communities violence ensued and televised exploits of the mostly Protestant police force made things worse. Violence, as violence does, spread. Feeling themselves to be at a distinct disadvantage the minority Catholic community responded positively to a pledge from the younger members of the IRA (Irish Republican Army) to protect them. So began the cycle of killing, bombing and reprisals that characterised the North on and off for the next 30 years.

I remembered many of the incidents and atrocities catalogued in this often gripping account of those terrible years. I remembered many of the names of those involved too as well as watching almost nightly on the TV as the British Army struggled to control things – or at least keep the violence down to what one politician called ‘an acceptable level’. One consequence of this was that the British are amongst the best urban combat troops in the world as they proved in both Iraq and Afghanistan. History is full of such ironies. Of course what I, indeed what no one, was aware of at the time was that the much talked about ‘we don’t talk to terrorists’ rhetoric was just that. The British government had actually been talking to the IRA and Protestant organisations for decades to try to come to a peaceful resolution. It did eventually happen after much blood had been spilt and much damage done but we do now seem to be in a much better position than ever before. What violence there is has dropped to a low level almost unimaginable only a decade before.

As you might imagine from an attempt to be as even handed as possible to all those involved no one really comes out exactly smelling of roses. There’s certainly enough fault to spread around and enough people still alive for it to be laid at their door. Likewise some of those same people were instrumental in creating, developing and finally achieving an acceptable peace process that all sides could sign up to. Maybe it was simply that everyone (or most of those involved) became sick and tired of the continuing violence and just wanted it to stop – and stop it eventually did.

This was not exactly the UK’s best moment. I grew up with bombs and bomb scares, with explosions going off across London and other areas whilst I worked there. I remember vividly how my train pulling into London missed a bomb by two platforms and 10 minutes one morning while on another occasion I walked past a pub on my way to work at 8:30 that morning only to have a bomb go off inside four hours later. Tense just doesn’t cover it. I sometimes think of those carefree days when if you left a bag unattended for too long it was likely to be pinched. These days such a bag would cause a security alert and if you got it back would likely be in pieces after being destroyed by the Security Services. Definitely a book for anyone who ever wondered what the Troubles were all about. Recommended.

Just Finished Reading: Easter 1916 – The Irish Rebellion by Charles Townshend


I’m trying to deepen my knowledge of areas I’m at least partially aware of already rather than move into completely uncharted territory. As part of that knowledge creep I picked up this book recently to find out the details of the Easter uprising in Dublin during Easter 1916. I guess that part of my interest in this event is my Irish ancestry and the fact that my father was born 13 years after and a mere 26 miles south-east of the main event. I can guess that he must have grown up with stories of the Catholic heroes who held off the might of the British army. He certainly mentioned some of the people discussed in this book which was an interesting personal link to an historic event.

I had already been horrified, and incensed, but stories of British atrocities in Dublin during that fateful weekend. I knew about the use of artillery on the streets of central Dublin to clear out rebel strongholds (not unlike the Russian army in Berlin it seemed) and I knew about the fatal error of the British authorities who executed the rebel leaders after the uprising had failed. I remember my disbelief (and righteous anger) when I was told about one rebel who, after being injured in the retaking of the city, was executed after being tied to a chair as he was incapable of standing up to be shot. I can imagine how badly that was received in the Catholic communities at the time – never mind to my less than fully active ‘Catholic’ sensibilities almost a century later.

What I didn’t realise, though maybe I should have, was the level of Imperial oppression prior to the events of 1916. Basically England treated Ireland like a dominion territory – not unlike India. Unsurprisingly the Irish population resented it. When WW1 exploded onto the scene the British administration could not understand the Irish reluctance to join the fight to defend their oppressors. When, after several years of fighting in Europe, the idea of compulsorily conscription was brought up that alone nearly caused a rebellion. With the idea of Home Rule hanging in front of the nation like a carrot – only after the war of course – tensions within the Irish political scene produced a group of radical thinkers (later to become founding members of the IRA) who decided that only an uprising could force the issue. Unfortunately the rebels did not have the weapons, the knowledge or the experience to pull it off. What followed was a series of mistakes on the Irish side which made their positions untenable. But it was the actions on the British side that ironically made the rebellion a successful one. Because of their heavy handed response – both in putting down the immediate act of rebellion and in the subsequent executions – they turned what was basically a farce into an act of heroism that has informed Irish politics even since.

Despite a fairly complex narrative and a large cast of characters, the author managed to keep my attention (often riveted if truth be told) focused on the events of 1916. I did lose track of some of the names from time to time but, overall, managed to keep a grip on things. On one level this can be seen as the story of a romantically bungled uprising by people who had no business being revolutionaries. On another level it was the story of what happens when a powerful nation treats its weaker neighbour with distain. It is also the story of brave, if naïve, men and women who fought and died for freedom in a time of global conflict. Overshadowed by the war in Europe it is easy to forget or overlook the events in Ireland but that, I think, would be a mistake. The fallout of the events that occurred in Dublin in 1916 have echoed down the years and present day Ireland cannot be understood without reference to it. Recommended for those of Irish ancestry or for anyone interested in the history of revolt and revolution.