Power, Identity and Public Duty in Modern Ireland
The value here is access rather than spin: a former Taoiseach looking back at power, identity and compromise while the headlines are still recent. It should work for political readers who want the pressures, trade-offs and private cost behind modern Irish leadership.
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Speaking My Mind
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Power, Identity and Public Duty in Modern Ireland
The value here is access rather than spin: a former Taoiseach looking back at power, identity and compromise while the headlines are still recent. It should work for political readers who want the pressures, trade-offs and private cost behind modern Irish leadership.
- Book Synopsis
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THE NO. 1 BESTSELLER Shortlisted for Biography of The Year, Irish Book Awards 2025 'Refreshingly honest' Guardian 'Whatever your views on Varadkar and his political legacy, you'll be gripped by these stories.' Sunday Independent 'There is gossip, revealing text exchanges and entertaining titbits … the reader gets a good sense of the pressures of serving as taoiseach.' Irish Times --- Leo Varadkar shares his fascinating experience as Irish prime minister at a time of much change and turbulence, in this remarkably honest memoir. Leo Varadkar was an unlikely Taoiseach - the youngest on taking office in 2017, the first Taoiseach to be gay, and the first person of colour to be Taoiseach. Equally unlikely was his decision to bow out of politics in his mid-forties. Now, liberated from the constraints of office, he tells his fascinating story with characteristic courage and candour, and provides a unique insight into the formation and evolution of a senior politician. In Speaking My Mind Leo Varadkar shares his pride in helping to bring about transformational changes, such as marriage equality. He describes experiences that only a prime minister could have - speaking frankly to Pope Francis on the legacy of church abuses, connecting with Barack Obama about both being the 'tall, dark guy with the funny name', navigating challenges such as the pandemic and the fallout from Brexit. And he writes honestly about the costs that go with the immense privilege of holding high office. Speaking My Mind is a revealing, intimate and important memoir from a singular public figure. --- 'A great read ... fascinating insights' Brendan O'Connor, RTÉ Radio 1 'Candid … engagingly honest' Financial Times 'A lively and easy read and can help in future examinations of a very fast-changing Ireland' Irish Independent 'He is easy, cosmopolitan company, judiciously bitchy, but never cruel. I own a lot of books written by and about Irish politicians and this one is the most human in its telling' The Times 'Brings to life some of the behind-the-scenes moments of what has been a transformative period in Irish and global politics' Sunday Independent 'Highly illuminating on the relationship between self-suppression and the reactionary social conservatism he once espoused . . . There's real life and real insight in these passages' The Observer 'Fascinating insights into his own thinking and the behaviour of others' Irish Daily Mail 'A fluid account . . . engaging' Irish Examiner
Ideal for readers who:
- Seek a compelling, first-hand Taoiseach memoir that offers genuine political access.
- Are interested in modern political leadership, personal identity, public pressure and a changing Ireland.
- Want to revisit major Brexit and pandemic decisions through a highly personal lens.
- Look for sharp political insight delivered with refreshing candour, context and honesty about the personal cost.
- About The Author
- Leo Varadkar grew up in Dublin, the son of an Irish mother and an Indian father. He studied medicine at Trinity College Dublin, but practised as a doctor for just a short time before becoming a full-time politician after election to Dáil Éireann (the Irish parliament) in 2007. He became a cabinet minister in 2011 and in 2017, at the age of 38, he became Taoiseach. Leo Varadkar served as Taoiseach until 2020 and again from late 2022 until his resignation in April 2024. He lives with his partner in Dublin.
- Product Details
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- ISBN
- 9781405978194
- Format
- Paperback
- Publisher
- Penguin Books, (18 June 2026)
- Number of Pages
- 432
- Weight
- 322 grams
- Language
- English
- Dimensions
- 196 x 127 x 30 mm
- Categories: