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The Invincibles: The Phoenix Park Assassinations and the Conspiracy that Shook an Empire
‘Britain in Ireland is a beast exceeding terrible; his feet and claws are of iron,’ The Invincibles
In an Ireland still reeling from years of famine, with tenant farmers being evicted and left to starve for their inability to pay exorbitant rents, revolutionary fervour was growing. An inner circle of the IRB was formed, a secret assassination squad within a secret society – the Irish National Invincibles. Their mission was to strike at the heart of British Imperial power, to kill the figureheads of Ireland’s oppressors.
On their way home from a triumphal parade through the city, Lord Frederick Cavendish and Thomas Burke, two of the heads of the establishment, were set upon and stabbed to death in the Phoenix Park. These killings would shake the Empire to its core, and shape the following decades of Irish history.
- GenresNonfiction
336 pages, Hardcover
Published April 25, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
August 11, 2019
Enjoyable read. Well researched unknown part of our history and very well written
December 4, 2022
Strange in what aspects it chooses to focus on
An odd book, the target audience and aims of which I can’t quite work out. Kenna begins setting the political context for the Phoenix Park assassinations, and does so brilliantly- we see the Land War and the intrigues of the main actors, analysing each’s intentions and plots, although some are poorly introduced. Once we get into the crime and the trials, we end up with an odd thing. Kenna devotes each chapter to a different trial or execution, all much the same as each other and contributing little new except for those with particular interest in individual invincibles. The chapters rely heavily on primary sources, quoting extensively, to the point that it might just be better to read them if one is so interested in these details! During this second half, we totally lose the sense of political importance that these trials carried. It was also in need of greater editing; often a primary source quotation will follow immediately after Kenna’s paraphrasing of that same quotation.
As the book makes clear, Kenna died while working on this book, and his family arranged for its posthumous publication. So though it could have benefitted from greater editing I don’t mean to criticise it too harshly for that, there were certainly extenuating circumstances.
Even though this book is fairly recent, another book on this subject has been published since— Julie Kavanagh’s ‘The Irish Assassins’. I have yet to read it but will soon; it’s been very well received and it might be a better idea to read that first and follow up with this one of the subject is of particular interest
An odd book, the target audience and aims of which I can’t quite work out. Kenna begins setting the political context for the Phoenix Park assassinations, and does so brilliantly- we see the Land War and the intrigues of the main actors, analysing each’s intentions and plots, although some are poorly introduced. Once we get into the crime and the trials, we end up with an odd thing. Kenna devotes each chapter to a different trial or execution, all much the same as each other and contributing little new except for those with particular interest in individual invincibles. The chapters rely heavily on primary sources, quoting extensively, to the point that it might just be better to read them if one is so interested in these details! During this second half, we totally lose the sense of political importance that these trials carried. It was also in need of greater editing; often a primary source quotation will follow immediately after Kenna’s paraphrasing of that same quotation.
As the book makes clear, Kenna died while working on this book, and his family arranged for its posthumous publication. So though it could have benefitted from greater editing I don’t mean to criticise it too harshly for that, there were certainly extenuating circumstances.
Even though this book is fairly recent, another book on this subject has been published since— Julie Kavanagh’s ‘The Irish Assassins’. I have yet to read it but will soon; it’s been very well received and it might be a better idea to read that first and follow up with this one of the subject is of particular interest
February 7, 2026
An well researched and highly readable account of the Phoenix Park Assassinations. Starting with a comprehensive discussion of the wider social and political background in Ireland and Westminster, Kenna then goes on to look at the Invincibles themselves, the individuals involved and their actions, the assassinations and the aftermath. I found this book as hard to put down as a good novel. Highly recommended.
March 8, 2020
A fantastic read. Great book by the late Dr. Shane Kenna. I'm proud to have known him. His love for Irish history was second to none. I hope his wish for "The Invincibles" comes through. Codladh Sámh Shane.
March 21, 2024
Best book I've read on the IRB. Also, turned me on. 5/5 + RIP Shane
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews