Kelly, Darren

The authors' unprecedented access lays bare many myths about key players from both sides. The tempo escalates with deployment of the notorious Black and Tans and Auxiliaries, as well as a host of cunning political and propaganda ploys. Desperate plights and horrific reprisals are portrayed, the effects of mass sectarian pogroms and killings. Tthe sacking of Balbriggan, the killing of Seán Treacy, the death of Terence MacSwiney, and the capture and execution of teenager Kevin Barry. As in the authors' previous works the pulsating tension, elation, fear, desperation, hunger, the mercy and the enmity leap from the pages. The harrowing circumstances suffered by those whose sacrifices laid the bedrock for modern Ireland, and whose own words form the book’s primary sources, are recounted in unflinching detail.

Hot on the heels of Killing at its Very Extreme, Dublin: October 1917 – November 1920, Someone Has to Die for This, Dublin: November 1920 – July 1921 wrenches the reader into of the final frenetic months of Dublin’s War of Independence, in uncompromising, unflinching, and unprecedented detail. The reader will follow in the footsteps of IRA assassination units on Bloody Sunday, witness the hellish conditions in Croke Park, taste the gripping tension that stalked the city as intelligence services battled it out over the winter, while equally clandestine peace feelers were set in play.

The pressure ratchets up in 1921 as surging IRA Active Service Units take the fight to the Auxiliaries, police and military in Dublin. Swathes of the country erupt into violent attacks and barbarous reprisals. Killings escalate in daily ambushes. Prison escapes are vividly detailed, as are the Mountjoy hangings. Shuttle diplomacy intensifies as settlement is desperately sought; but fault lines develop among the Republican leadership.

Street-battles paralyse the city with civilians bearing a brutal burden; the IRA relentlessly presses on. The devastating Custom House attack precedes the war’s ferocious final weeks, culminating in a near bloodbath that almost scuppered the truce.Experience these breathtaking events through the eyes of their participants. This is an unforgettable story, its style providing long-overdue justice.

The raw intensity of the Irish Civil War is brought to life in this gripping, fast-paced journey through a year of change and conflict. Dublin’s descent into violent unrest surpasses the turmoil of the Easter Rising. Former allies in the IRA find themselves divided and entrenched in an ideological struggle that threatens to tear the city and country apart. 

As Treaty debates spark dissension, tensions mount, Dublin becomes a tinderbox of espionage, betrayal, and guerrilla warfare. The Provisional Government’s National Army and the IRA engage in sporadic but fierce clashes as unrelenting violence and chaos engulf the country. 

In Northern Ireland, there is growing disillusionment among IRA units due to the diminishing credibility of assurances from Michael Collins. Amid ongoing assaults on their communities, the nationalist population experiences a rising number of casualties due to rampant brutality from unionist militias. This, together with the suppression of inquiries into killings, leads to a widespread feeling of abandonment by the Provisional Government. On June 4 1922, the Provisional Government implemented 'a policy of peaceful obstruction' towards the Belfast Government, explicitly forbidding any troops from the twenty-six counties from entering the six-county area. In an apocalyptic climax, Dublin is engulfed in explosions, assassinations and relentless urban warfare. 

More than a historical recount, 'Tomorrow With Bayonets' offers a visceral portrayal of a nation grappling with its identity and sovereignty, seen through the eyes of combatants, leaders, and civilians caught in the crossfire. This powerful account, not for the faint-hearted, leaves a lasting impact, resonating with the reader long after the final page.