[.ca] The Irish War: The Hidden Conflict Between the IRA and ... (ISBN 0801871174)

An Excellent Book About The IRA And It's Long War:
This Book shows in graphic detail how the IRA was able to systematically defeat the British Army and the Loyalist terrorist they employed against the Catholic population. Geraghty shows how the IRA rose from a few ill equiped troops, to become the world's most formidable guerilla army. The book details that ruthless war they waged against the British Army and thier loyalist counterparts in the UDA and UVF. Through a brutally effecient assassination and bombing campaign,(which even managed to outmaneuver the famed SAS),the IRA outfought and eventually crippled the British military and the loyalist paramilitary groups, untill they were forced to state publicly that the IRA "could not be defeated". At the same time as they waged thier successful campaign against the British and unionist forces, they made thier political party (Sinn Fein) the most successful in Northen Ireland. This is an excellent book about how the oppressed Catholic population of Northen Ireland took on the tyranny of the British and for the second time in a century defeated them soundly.

Most unbalanced book on the Troubles yet!:
This has to be the most biased, pro-Unionist book on the troubles in Northern Ireland that I have ever read. Geraghty is somehow convinced that the IRA organized every demonstration, riot or altercation in N. Ireland. He actually blames the shooting of 13 unarmed civilians by British paratroopers on the IRA and has a tendency to dismiss acts of brutality, torture and murder by British soldiers and loyalists on catholics while going into great detail on every real or perceived IRA atrocity. This is not to say at all that the IRA has not commmitted extremely brutal acts but Geraghty focuses entirely on IRA brutality while ignoring or explaining away the reasons for the troubles and the horrible acts committed by the British Army and loyalist paramilitaries. There is more of a story to the troubles in N. Ireland from both the Unionist and Republican perspective that Geraghty has failed to produce. He almost makes Ian Paisley seem more sympathetic to the plight of N. Ireland catholics and the republican cause! Despite his experience, Geraghty never seems to grasp the mindset of the N. Irish people, both protestant and catholic; catholics seem to be manipulated entirely by the IRA while he seldom portrays the protestant community at all and when he does they are shown as hardcore, religious zealot paramilitaries. He also jumbles some of his dates and events. For instance, he mentions Kent State in the context of 1968 when the shootings there took place in 1970 (Kent State University is only about an hour away). For a more interesting description of the troubles, try Jack Holland's "Hope Against History", Peter Taylor's work on the IRA and Protestant paramilitaries, Tim Pat Coogan's "The Troubles", Conroy's Belfast Diary (great for getting a feel for Belfast life) or even Bruce's "Edge of the Union" for the loyalist perpsective.

Who dares wins:
The most balanced book written on the conflict between the PIRA and it's fellow travellers against the British security apparatus protecting the democratic will of the majority Unionist population of Ulster. The use of the world famous SAS and it's crippling effect on the Republican movement alongside loyalist paramilitary assasination sheds new light on the ongoing counter terrorism actions. The continual arrest and trials of dissident Republicans and the ease of the security forces attempts in tackling them is explained by the detail in which Geraghty explains the extensive security apparatus in Ulster and the mainland. This book has shed new light on PIRA tactics and should probably be read by the US allies of Colombia apres FARC and the 'bungle in the jungle'. Geraghty also covers the historical aspect of the Irish 'question' from 1600 onward, a question that has now been solved excepting a few lone dissident nutcases. Other good books on the IRA by ex-members who see through their propaganda as concisely as Geraghty include Raymond Gilmour's 'Dead Ground', Eamonn Collins 'Killing Rage', Martin McCartland's 'Fifty Dead men walking' and Sean O'Callaghan's 'Informer'. Peace.

Interesting:
This is a good book that describes the the brutal war that was waged between the baby-kilers of the IRA and the British. It recounts how unevenly matched the British Army and the IRA were in that the IRA were more than happy to kill people because they were Protestant whilst the heroic British Army had their hands tied by the politicians. Perhaps one of the most disturbing aspects in the book concerns the use by the IRA of human bombs (like Al Qaeda only these were not voluntary) and how the IRA systematically targeted women and children because of their Christian faith. But pehaps most troubling of all though was the blind eye the Irish governemnt turned to the murder of hundreds of innocent Protestants by the IRA. In response, the UVF and UFF were forced to take out hundreds of IRA activists, something which compelled the Provisionals to hastily surrender. This book is a good read but is not for the weak willed if you don't like reading how the IRA targeted young children and innocent women.

How the British defeated the sectarian killers:
This book demonstrates how the IRA were defeated by the British Army. The role of the Loyalist self-defence forces such as the UVF and UFF is also shown and the role they played in bringing the PIRA to their knees. Although there is not much coverage of the sectarian tactics employed against the brave Protestant population, Geraghty shows how the IRA tried to fool the world about their true nature. He shows how they rose from a few ill equipped troops to becoming well-armed but still aiming at killing women and children because they were Protestant. The book details that ruthless war they waged against normal law-abiding people in Northern Ireland. Thoroughly outmaneuvered by the famous SAS and running scared of the mid-Ulster UVF and C company UFF the IRA put their hands up and eventually gave in, begging for mercy from the loyalists. This is an excellent book about how the Protestant population of Northen Ireland took on the tyranny of the PIRA and defeated them soundly.