The Irish Civil War

by Helen Litton

The Irish Civil War has inspired passion, hatred, and idealism. In this concise history, Helen Litton recounts the events leading up to the signing of the Treaty, the impassioned Dáil debates that followed, the destruction of the Four Corners, and the confused fighting of the Civil War itself. Here is the pragmatism of Arthur Griffith, the charisma of Michael Collins, the resounding rhetoric of de Valera, the military tactics of Liam Lynch. Here also are the women of the Cumann na mBan, and the war-weary civilians who had just begun to rebuild their lives from the ashes of the War of Independence. Using speeches, newspaper reports, eyewitness accounts, and carefully chosen illustrations, Helen Litton describes the confusion, inexperience, and sometimes misguided vision that characterized both the Provisional Government and those commanding the Irregulars. From the resulting maelstrom of divided families and neighbors, a new Ireland had to emerge. In the style of Litton's highly acclaimed history of the Irish famine, The Irish Civil An Illustrated History will provide a stimulating rethink for all who know the period well, and an informative introduction for those who want to understand it for the first time.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Military History, Ireland

160 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1997

About the author

Born in Dublin, Helen Litton is the editor of Kathleen Clarke’s memoir, Revolutionary Woman, and the author of 6 illustrated history books. She is married with two children. Edward Daly was Helen’s great uncle; she has also written his biography for the 16 Lives series.

Reviews

[Anna Hepworth · Rating 1 out of 5]

* this is not necessarily a fair and reasoned review, but more of a rant *

In the introduction, Litton states that

"I gave done my best to write a clear, straightforward narrative, outlining the main events, and the circumstances that drove people to act as they did ... ."

I can but think that she has failed. Possibly for someone with a thorough grounding in some of the history leading up to the war, it may be clear, but to someone whose knowledge of the war is so non-existent that I was unsure as to which century I was going to be reading about, it fails completely. There is such a wealth of assumed knowledge, from the geography (not a single map is included in the 156 pages), to the names and roles of the individuals. For example, in one section, among the six or more names just dumped in front of the reader, I recognized one - Winston Churchill. But I don't have a context - what was his role in British politics in 1921? He is described as a 'British heavyweight', but that doesn't really tell me much at all.

Litton's introduction also states

"This book was written for people who are interested in the confusing sequence of events by which the south moved from being a colonial possession, to a Free State, and ultimately to a Republic".

I'm certainly interested, but this book has done nothing for me. It has failed so badly to serve someone from outside the culture that I did not see the point in finishing it. For example, in the first chapter, which appeared to be the background, the first section strings together a number of seemingly unrelated pieces of information. One character, Kathleen Clarke, gets enough mention sufficiently quickly in the book that this could be returned to to make clear the point that was being made, but two chapters in, there has still not been enough information to understand some of it.

The second section of chapter 1 is no better. It starts:

"After the Easter Rising of 1916, which proclaimed a Republic of Ireland...".

Bah. What Easter rising? Where is my context, dammit? Australian schools at the point I went through didn't teach contemporary history, as far as I can tell, and anything in the same century seems to have counted as contemporary. I have no knowledge of an Easter Rising, other than the one that I was taught about in second grade scripture class.

I would also argue that the writing is not particularly clear. I'm used to having to reread every sentence in a math paper twice, or thrice, to make sure that I've understood the logic, but that is because every single thing fits together in a way that requires understanding of every single piece. That is not my expectation when it comes to other disciplines. I can afford to miss a piece of the puzzle here and there, because if it is important, it will be repeated, and if it is not, I'll still understand what the big picture is - because really, this should be about the big picture.

It feels like I've come in to book two, or maybe book three, of a densely plotted politically driven fantasy series, and no one has seen the need to put in a two page recap to remind people who haven't just finished it what the story is, and who the major players are.

I can't recommend this. I did not truly finish reading it, but rather looked at the pictures, and read the odd bit here and there, and probably got as much out of it as I would if I read every word.

[Maggie Broderick · Rating 1 out of 5]

one of the worst books i've ever read. incredibly poorly written and unbelievably rushed. literally, no substantive history of the civil war was given. i actually became more IGNORANT (!) on the topic after reading this. how!!! all this did was give me more questions and not a single answer. no maps at all. no background or comprehensible discussion on anything. my fav part, and i literally have to laugh, was the start of chapter four when she said "...the actual war was brief, and could be described in a few lines." girl?! that's the whole point of your book. maybe spend more than a few lines on it?? also?! on the back cover it said it was going to talk about charismatic leader michael collins, but i actually learned not a thing about him. and de valera? i'm so lost bro.

anyways, this actually made me sad and angry because i wanted a little irish amuse bouche but now i'm just angry and i feel even more stupid. thanks helen! hashtag no hard feelings.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually picked this up during a previous visit to Ireland, planning to get around to reading it eventually but relishing its great illustrations and bibliography. At 156 pages, the author has packed a lot of information in here in a well-written succinct account of Ireland's tragic civil war (1922-1923). Written in the 1990s, it has the virtues of being written and published before the latest round of hand-wringing as we mark the centenary of 1916 and approach the more problematic years of the Anglo-Irish War and the Irish Civil War that climaxed Ireland's military struggle for independence. I would not want this to be the only book you might read on the struggle (I've also read Calton Younger's by comparison massive history of the Civil War), but it's a great introduction and the compact size of this edition makes it great for tucking into a pocket or your luggage as background to your touring of Ireland - or even as a great introduction to the subject with the intention of drawing on her impressive bibliography to pursue more in depth reading!

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gives a good overview of the Civil War with sufficient backstory considering the format of the book. An excellent book to gain insight into a complex conflict. Provides a good list of literature for further reading.