February 16, 2011
By Staff Reporter
THE IRISH WAR
The Hidden Conflict Between
the IRA And British Intelligence
Tony Geraghty
In this often chilling history of the conflict in Northern Ireland, military veteran and journalist Tony Geraghty explores the strategy and technology — including forms of surveillance, interrogation, chemical analysis and electronic eavesdropping — that were developed behind the scenes for full-fledged war. He also exposes the brutal tactics and the disturbing inner workings of the paramilitary groups and their military opposition. Geraghty says that the "legacy of covert warfare engendered by this long and bloody struggle will surely affect British and Irish liberty for years to come." Johns Hopkins University Press. 472 pp. $29.95.
BLOODY SUNDAY AND THE RULE
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OF LAW IN NORTHERN IRELAND
Dermot P. J. Walsh
Drawing on original research into evidence that had been concealed for 25 years, this book offers a devastating critique of the official Widgery Inquiry into the shooting of unarmed civilians in Derry by British soldiers on Bloody Sunday, Jan. 30, 1972. According to this book, the detailed and cogent exposition of how, and the extent to which, the "rule of law was sacrificed in order to achieve the result desired by the political and security establishments is profoundly disturbing." St. Martin’s Press. 349 pp. $69.95.
DEAD AS DOORNAILS
Anthony Cronin
This classic book, from one of Ireland’s leading men of letters, is an account of life in post-war literary Dublin. It is as funny and as colorful as one would expect from an intimate of Brendan Behan, Patrick Kavanagh and Myles na Gopaleen, but, according to the book itself, is also a clear-eyed, astringent antidote to what passes for literary history and memory in the Dublin of today. Dufour Editions, Inc., Chester Springs, PA 19425. 202 pp. $17.95.