Description
This is a fascinating study of the effects of the Irish Civil War in Sligo, a relatively quiet county, during the War of Independence, which proved to be one of the most troublesome areas for the Free State Army in the Civil War. For a long time, the west of Ireland had been largely overlooked in studies of the war. Farry discusses the social and economic effects of the war: the build-up to conflict, the progress and geography of the war, the disruption to the daily lives of citizens, education, transportation, law and order, also there is a chapter on how the Protestant community was affected. This is a highly successful marriage of political, social, and economic history. Michael Farry teaches in Trim Co., Meath.
"a readable, informative and even entertaining study, a model of its kind."
Richard Roche Irish Times Sept 2000
"A thorough-going and highly professional study of the civil war period in a part of the country not often spoken of in this context... The bibliography is impressive, and includes many interviews with survivors."
Books Ireland Sept 2000
"a superb book that combines conventional political and military history with social history to provide a deep and enlightening analysis of a community at war with itself. Farry's book is a model both for local histories of national events and for histories of that notoriously difficult subject, guerrilla warfare."
Amazon.co.uk Dec 2000
"The author's research uncovers the effects of the civil war on the social and economic life of the community and untangles the local politics as well as dealing with the military aspects. This is a thorough and careful study which undoubtedly expands our understanding of this period."
Irish Democrat April/May 2001
"In reconstructing the period through a varied range of local and national archives, Michael Farry has produced a very comprehensive analysis. Those readers already familiar with the period will immediately recognise that Sligo serves as a microcosm of events at national level. This book should serve as a template for future local studies of the period."
History Ireland Spring 2001
"Another handsome production by UCD Press this, whose artfully blurred cover cloaks a model of scholarly clarity and detail within. Michael Farry's new book is a substantial and timely intervention in a rapidly maturing set of debates on the Irish Revolution."
Irish Studies Review 9 (3) 2001
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