Revolution in Ireland

Conor Kostick is an award-winning author of both history and fiction. He holds a PhD. (2005) and gold medal in history from Trinity College Dublin, where he currently teaches.

This brave and original book, which uncovers with meticulous skill a whole suppressed history, challenges the assumptions of orthodox nationalist and liberal revisionist alike. Terry Eagleton, Professor of Cultural Theory, University of Manchester Written with the polemical verve of a committed socialist, this book contains a great deal of detail on working-class militancy between 1917 and 1923 that won't be found elsewhere. An important contribution to Irish historiography, it stresses the extent and impact of mass action and labour activism, challenging traditional interpretations that focus almost exclusively on the role of armed groups. An excellent study that deserves to be widely read. Fintan Lane, editor Politics and the Irish Working Class Now there is a book covering the entire period ... The great value of Kostick's book is that it brings together a wealth of information about the hidden history of ordinary people in Ireland fighting to dump the bosses off their backs. The struggles our grandparents and great grandparents engaged in are inspiring. Workers Solidarity An excellent counter- weight to the mass of Collins biography, which forgets the location of the revolutionary period. Dr Mike Cronin, History, Sheffield Hallam University This book ... is much better researched than the norm and thus serves as a useful survey of an under-appreciated phenomenon in Irish political history. As a comprehensive and clearly told narrative it will be useful to many. Times Change (Dublin) Kostick's book ... might be regarded as revisionist in the best (or proper) sense of the word in that it is a genuine re-examination and reassessment of the period rather than just a refutation of the accepted view ... Obvious enthusiasm for his subject ... The strength of Kostick's book is that he is not side-tracked by theoretical arguments but instead marshals an impressive array of evidence to support his case ... Kostick's work is impressive ... As a study of the social turmoil and the depth of militancy at this time Kostick's is a very good book and one well worth reading. Books Ireland For the first time in one book there is a full account of the strikes, factory occupations and land seizures which shook Irish society. Socialist Review An essential addition to the library of any progressive interested in Ireland. Morning Star A useful summary of militant activity and a corrective to the conventional orthodoxy which would almost completely dismiss the social dimension of the Irish revolution. Irish Historical Studies This remains an invaluable book, one of the most important recent contributions to our understanding of the period from 1917 to 1923. Irish Studies Review A stirring, celebratory account that fully succeeds in establishing the tremendous scale of working-class revolt, both in the countryside and in the towns. Strikes, general strikes, occupations and demonstrations, were all an important part of the years from 1917 to 1923, and future studies of the period will ignore this dimension of the period at their peril. John Newsinger, Senior Lecturer, Bath Spa University