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Synopsis
Coogan has written an outstanding account...enhanced by well-chosen historic photographs, maps and documents."--Celtic Connection
On April 14, 1916, it all began--and 6 short but bloody days later, true Irish independence emerged from the ruins. Coogan's outstanding account of this seminal event provides a testament to a turning point in Irish history and to those who perished in the struggle. Born of the thwarted, democratically expressed desire for Home Rule--as well as political confusion--the Easter Uprising started when rebels seized a number of strong points in Dublin. The subsequent executions of the leaders, along with the arrest, court-martial, and detention of 3500 people, won the insurgents sympathy and resulted in an overwhelming desire for freedom among the public.
Library Journal
There being no shortage of books on the Easter Rising, this book must have been published for its pictures of fighters, damaged buildings, and typed orders. Viewing the current peace process through the legacy of the rising is the core of Coogan's (The IRA; Ireland Since the Rising) narrative. That legacy and the political extremists on both sides keep colliding, he writes, and when peace seems at hand another group claims the mantle of the IRA or the Orange Order and resists. Coogan ultimately touches on a more irresistible force than Easter 1916 the Catholics of Ulster are reproducing faster than the Protestants are; democracy should ultimately yield to demographics. In the meantime, this volume is bound and printed more like a coffee-table book than a history, so perhaps it would do better as a gift. An entertaining read but strictly for devotees. Robert Moore, Parexel Corp., Waltham, MA Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.