War in Ulster Book Reviews

The Donegal Awakening

The Donegal Awakening: Donegal And The War Of Independence

Liam Ó Duibhir

9781856356329

€19.99

Bringing to life the too often ignored experience of Donegal during the War of Independence, this book shows that while the conflict may have resulted in lower casualty rates in Donegal than in other places, it nonetheless coincided with a political and civil awakening that saw a radicalisation of a generation of young people and the empowerment of a people.

Liam Ó Duibhir is a native of Donegal and the author of Mercier's recently published The Donegal Awakening. The book is the first fruit of his efforts to tell the real history of Donegal's War of Independence and Civil War experiences. He is currently completing a follow up running from the Truce period that tells the story of Donegal during the Civil War.

Belfast's Unholy War

Belfast's Unholy War: The troubles of the 1920s

Alan F. Parkinson

9781859183236

€55 (HB)

Four Courts Press

So-called sectarian disturbances have been a constant feature of Belfast’s history, but probably the most concentrated outburst of violence occurred in the 1920s. Nearly 500 people lost their lives, thousands more were injured and considerable damage was inflicted upon the city’s commercial centre. Numerous incidents are recalled, as is the political setting of the time: the meetings of Michael Collins and Sir James Craig; the Belfast Boycott; the human tragedies that unfolded and the ultimate creation of a northern state.

Explanations of the conflict tend to centre on its alleged ‘pogrom’ nature and the suggestion of state collusion in several atrocities. This book challenges such one-dimensional interpretations of the violence.

Alan F. Parkinson is senior lecturer in history and education at South Bank U, London. He is the author of Ulster loyalism and the British media (1998).

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