"Patriotic and brave men might die on a scaffold, on hunger strike or in British Jails; mass meetings might demand our freedom; writers and poets cry aloud of British Tyranny and of Ireland's sufferings, but none of those would have induced the lords of the Conquest to undo their grip or even discuss our liberation. The only language they listened to or could understand was that of the rifle."

Incredible insight not only into the history of the Tan War, but to the military and tactical prowess of the West Cork IRA between 1918 - 1921.

A book studied by the likes of Che Guevara and Mao Tse Tung, it shows a masterclass in the tactics of Guerilla Warfare by a band of 300 men against an empire of 12,000.

Tom Barry fought with the British Army during the First World War, the Irish Republican Army during the war with England (1919-1921), and the anti-Treaty forces of the IRA during the Irish Civil War (1922-1923). Imprisoned by the Free State government in Dublin for his role in that civil war, he nevertheless returned to the ranks of the IRA and served as its Chief of Staff in the 1930s. He published these memoirs in 1949, at a time when Ireland was, at last, a Republic that until recently had been under the leadership of Eamon DeValera, Barry’s longtime leader in these conflicts.
In an interesting historical moment of irony, the author heard the news of the 1916 Easter Rising the following May, as he served with the British Army expedition in Mesopotamia (now Iraq) as that army attempted but ultimately failed to relieve a British Army besieged in the city of Kut by Ottoman Turkish forces. By the summer of 1919, having returned to his native Cork from the war, Barry was inspired by that 1916 Rising to first learn more of his own country’s history and its struggles with England, and then to join the Irish Republican Army just as the volunteers were re-arming and resuming their drilling to defend the Irish Republic created in the wake of the 1918 general election.
The IRA in this period found a number of its most important leaders and its most effective fighters from “rebel” Cork, and the fighting pursued in the fields, lanes, and city streets of County Cork made it the most important arena in the contest between Irish Republicans and the “forces of the crown.” Prominent names were also to be found among the British commanders that Tom Barry and others would face in Cork. Future Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery served there as Brigade Major of the 17th Brigade and future Lieutenant-General Arthur Percival, who would surrender to the Japanese at Singapore, served as an intelligence officer and was decorated for that service. Both were considered to have done well in Cork by their Army superiors.
His earliest duties with the IRA were as an Intelligence Officer focused upon learning as much as possible about the British troops then garrisoning County Cork. However, by early 1920 the British reportedly begin to suspect his real loyalties and Barry quickly joined the fighting arm of the IRA as training officer for the Cork Brigade. It is at this point that Tom Barry begins his real story which is the account of the Cork Brigade, and especially the West Cork Flying Column, and their war with the much larger British Force occupying Cork. This became a major if not the principal arena of the Anglo-Irish War.

The narrative backbone of the book is Tom Barry’s rise to command the West Cork Flying Column, the Cork Brigade’s principal weapon for attacking British forces rather than just fending them off. This conflict was very much a modern guerilla war as the IRA frequently started out with weapons taken from their enemies and were frequently aided, abetted, and encouraged by the population. The IRA generally struck where their enemy was weakest and evaded combat when their enemy was clearly stronger.
The author describes this unequal war in detail, including the evolution of their tactics, military organization, recruitment, intelligence war, relations with and treatment of civilians, and the targeted use of violence against key individuals. Such details and related discussions lift this rather simple military memoir to the level of textbook on guerilla war from the viewpoint of the guerilla, and in this instance a very successful guerilla leader. This is a must read for anyone interested in Ireland in the 20th Century and its struggle for independence, or for anyone wanting to better understand guerilla warfare and how such a war is waged on the part of the insurgent or guerilla.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Barry

Brilliant account of the War Of Independence (Anglo-Irish War) from the I.R.A.'s finest flying column commander. While his bias toward the men of his own column and locality must be borne in mind while reading this, it is a superb first hand account of a guerrilla force in action and a must read for anyone interested in Irish history.

With the support of their people, the IRA were able to resist an overwhelming British force, especially in West Cork. Tom Hardy, lists in detail, names, actions, helpers and the dead, he must have been a prodigious and canny operator. The insight into guerrilla warfare before the internet and communications adds to the extremes they went to, to win. The womens army where as brave, here’s a snippet:

At noon on the 14th we arrived at Anna Hurley’s of Laragh. This lady, the leader of the Cumann na mBan (womens army) of the Bandon district, was a sister of Frank Hurley, who had been murdered by the Essex Regiment during the previous week. She was asked to leave immediately for Bandon and to remain there until two o’clock to observe the movements of the murderers of her brother.

Well worth a read.

I picked up this book while in Ireland. I have relatives there whom we have managed to keep in touch with since my Great Grandfather immigrated to the US in 1893. I wanted to get a better understanding of the divide between the Irish Republic and the British. This certainly did it! A courageous stand against the occupying British, many great sacrifices made to keep the Irish independent and proudly so. Thomas Barry takes us inside the IRA. Its a situation that I don't believe will ever be truly over until we have a unified Ireland.

A piece of history not commonly understood or taught. It really opens your eyes to what a resistance movement is thinking and how they are able to succeed despite overwhelming odds.

A must read for anyone interested in Irish history, guerilla warfare, or how to succeed in an unequal struggle for liberation against a vastly superior power.

An incredible first hand account of the War of Independence in West Cork by one of Ireland's finest patriots. Superbly written. It keeps your attention from start to finish. A must read for anyone with an interest in Irish history.

Brilliant. Erin Go Bragh

Excellent book!

Cracker