History & Politics

by Rory Carroll

€12.99

A Sunday Times Paperback of the Year 2024The Sunday Times Bestseller and Waterstones Paperback of the Year 2024A Sunday Times History Book of the Year A Spectator Book of the Year The Irish Times No.1 Bestseller'As taut as a fictional thriller' Mail on Sunday'Gripping, detailed and richly layered' GuardianKILLING THATCHER is the gripping account of how the IRA came astonishingly close to killing Margaret Thatcher and to wiping out the British Cabinet - an extraordinary assassination attempt linked to the Northern Ireland Troubles and the most daring conspiracy against the Crown since the Gunpowder Plot.In this fascinating and compelling book, veteran journalist Rory Carroll retraces the road to the infamous Brighton bombing in 1984 - an incident that shaped the political landscape in the UK for decades to come. He begins with the infamous execution of Lord Mountbatten in 1979 - for which the IRA took full responsibility - before tracing the rise of Margaret Thatcher, her response to the 'Troubles' in Ireland and the chain of events that culminated in the hunger strikes of 1981 and the death of 10 republican prisoners, including Bobby Sands. From that moment on Thatcher became an enemy of the IRA - and the organisation swore revenge.Opening with a brilliantly-paced prologue that introduces bomber Patrick Magee in the build up to the incident, Carroll sets out to deftly explore the intrigue before and after the assassination attempt - with the story spanning three continents, from pubs and palaces, safe houses and interrogation rooms, hotels and barracks. On one side, an elite IRA team aided by a renegade priest, US-raised funds and Libya's Qaddafi and on the other, intelligence officers, police detectives, informers and bomb disposal officers. An exciting narrative that blends true crime with political history, this is the first major book to investigate the Brighton attack.

by Aoife Moore

€11.99

Inside the rise of the political party, once subordinate to the IRA, that is on the brink of taking power in Ireland Sinn Féin, long widely-regarded as the political wing of the Provisional IRA, is the most popular political party in both Northern Ireland and the Republic. A movement once synonymous with a paramilitary campaign is on the brink of taking real power through purely democratic means. But if Sinn Féin has mastered the art of electoral politics, it remains strangely opaque. Who really runs the party? How is it funded? And what can we expect of it as a party of government? Aoife Moore, Irish Journalist of the Year 2021. explores these and other burning questions in The Long Game. Drawing on exclusive interviews with current and former members of Sinn Féin, she builds up a picture of a party undergoing a profound, and still incomplete, transformation. She looks at the key individuals and moments that put the party on its present course, and she explores tensions within the party and the wider republican movement. Packed with revelatory details, The Long Game is a groundbreaking telling of contemporary Ireland's biggest and most elusive political story.

by Tyler Anbinder

€25.52

Uncover the gripping narrative of Irish immigrants who transformed America in the aftermath of the Great Hunger. Tyler Anbinder's landmark work exposes the grit and resilience of the Famine Irish, defying hardship to redefine the American dream. From the bustling streets of New York to the heart of a nation in the middle of change, the compelling journey of these unrecognised heroes is unveiled, painting a vibrant scene of hope that echoes through the heart of America. A captivating testament to courage and perseverance, this book is a must-read, illuminating a pivotal chapter in the making of modern America, a testament to the enduring spirit that forged a new home in the land of opportunity. Drawing on previously unavailable records and a ten-year research initiative, stories of the refugees who settled in New York City are reclaimed. Plentiful Country is a compelling tribute to the resilience of these individuals.

by John Crotty

€18.99

A monastic outpost in the Celtic Sea, a fortress built to defend an Empire, a prison established to intern a nation; Spike Island's remarkable 1300-year history far exceeds its modest acreage. No other place better encapsulates the Irish story. Spike Island tells of religious fervour, frequent rebellion, social endeavour, and a nation's inextinguishable yearning for freedom. After 206 years off-limits to the public, its secrets can finally be divulged. The island has garnered international attention many times, such as the famine-era prison overcrowding and inhumane conditions, the triumphant 1938 handover of the island from Britain to Ireland, and the violent prison riot in 1985. Spike Island echoes with the voices of prisoners past, having housed fierce rebels like John Mitchel, who would inspire the 1916 generation, and 1200 Republicans during the War of Independence. More recent arrivals include the notorious crime boss The General, who terrorised 1980s' Ireland. Told in an entertaining and accessible chronological style featuring accounts from island dwellers and the interned alike, this book is sure to captivate anyone interested in Irish history.

by Warren Farrell

€18.99

'Remember now as you go by, as you are now so once was I, and as I am now so you shall be, so prepare for death and follow me.' Every grave has a story to tell. Glasnevin Cemetery is the final resting place of over one million souls, with some of the most famous names in Irish history resting side by side with those buried in anonymity. The 'faithful departed', as James Joyce referred to the cemetery's population, are reanimated in this book through vivid retellings of their stories. From unmarked plots to striking monuments, Glasnevin Cemetery is a microcosm of Irish society over the last two centuries. Warren Farrell, having immersed himself in the cemetery's history as a tour guide for the past seven years, set out to celebrate the lesser known figures and their contributions to the Irish state. So Once Was I has a story for everyone, representing all threads of Irish society's rich tapestry. Embark on an intruiging tour through our national necropolis in these pages, and become acquainted with the famous and forgotten that once walked the streets of Dublin.

by Carsten Krieger

€19.99

Ireland's landscape is steeped in folklore and history, and the untamed Atlantic seaboard is no exception. Stretching from the Inishowen Peninsula in Donegal to Kinsale in Cork, the Wild Atlantic Way encompasses 2,500 kilometres of spectacular coastline and a wealth of folk tales passed down through generations. This book immerses us in the wild beauty of Ireland's western periphery, seeks out these stories and explores their origins. Renowned landscape photographer Carsten Krieger has traversed and captured Ireland's verdant terrain for over twenty years. In this time, he has imbibed the geology, history and heritage of the island he now calls home. On his journey to create this book, he has retraced his steps, listening to the echoes of the past and looking with fresh eyes to unearth ancient legends and myths. While some of the places, stories and events in this book may be familiar, this is the first time they are presented in this way: a beguiling combination of photography, folklore and history. Through the eyes of a curious photographer, the already enchanting landscape is imbued with a touch of magic. The result is a captivating new perspective on the Wild Atlantic Way and its stories.

by Dan Lawton

€18.99

On Sunday, 26 November 1978, two IRA gunmen kicked in the front door at 8 Evelyn Gardens in Belfast, the home of Maze prison official Albert Miles. They executed Miles in front of his family and vanished into the night. In 1983 twenty-four-year-old Catholic taxi driver Kevin Barry Artt was convicted and sentenced to life for Miles' murder, falsely named by an IRA member-turned-jailhouse-informant. On his way to the Maze in handcuffs, Artt resolutely professed his innocence. Six weeks into his life sentence, he escaped in one of the most daring and notorious prison breaks in history, fleeing to California and going underground. The epic legal saga that followed spanned one ocean, two court systems and nearly three decades, as Artt was relentlessly pursued by the British government, aided by the US Department of State and the FBI. Dan Lawton discovered the vital piece of evidence that caused the Northern Ireland Court of Appeal to throw out Artt's murder case in 2020, and in Hunted, he has forensically chronicled Kevin Barry Artt's surreal story of survival and redemption.

by Arthur Mathews

€17.99

In July 1927, at just thirty-five years old, Kevin O'Higgins was assassinated on his way to mass in Booterstown. A memorial plaque in his honour unveiled at the site in 2012 was removed after just two weeks due to persistent vandalism. In this compelling biography, Arthur Mathews examines the enduring hatred of O'Higgins through the lens of his close friends and many enemies. Appointed Minister for Home Affairs in 1922, O'Higgins resorted to draconian measures to fight the lawlessness that swelled in the wake of the Anglo-Irish Treaty. In an act that would seal his fate, he signed off on the execution of seventy seven anti-Treaty prisoners, including Rory O'Connor, who had been best man at his wedding the year before. As the hostility between former comrades intensified, O'Higgins was now a prime target for the incensed 'irregulars'. Holed up in government buildings in the years preceding his assassination, he described himself as being 'walled in by hate'. The complex legacy of Kevin O'Higgins encapsulates the bitter divisions of the Irish Civil War, and he remains one of the most compelling characters to emerge from the conflict.