Shadow of a Taxman investigates how the unrecognised Irish Republic's money was solicited, collected, transmitted, and safeguarded, as well as who the financial backers were and what might have influenced their decision to contribute. The Republic's quest for funds took its emissaries as far afield as New York, Buenos Aires, Cape Town, and Melbourne, as well as virtually every parish in Ireland. By selling 'war bonds' to supporters, it raised GBP370,165 from 140,000 people in Ireland and nearly $6m from 300,000 people in the United States. These bonds promised a return to subscribers when British forces had left Ireland and an independent Irish Republic was internationally recognised. Exploiting newly uncovered documents, Shadow of a Taxman reveals the identities of these subscribers. Cross-referencing with census returns, intelligence reports, memoirs, and IRA membership rolls, it provides the first demographic analysis of non-combatant supporters of Irish independence on the eve of its realisation. It also shows how access to funds shaped the course of the Irish War of Independence and, ultimately, Irish republicans' negotiating position with the British government in 1921.

About the Author
R. J. C. Adams is a Research Fellow at the Centre for Economic History, Queen's University Belfast. A graduate of the University of Oxford, his doctoral research was awarded the Economic History Society's Thirsk-Feinstein prize for best dissertation in economic or social history and the Economic History Association's Alexander Gerschenkron prize for best dissertation in economic history with a focus outside North America.

Reviews
This meticulously researched monograph offers novel insights into the subject, and in a wider sense Adams has uncovered a rich and fascinating story of contemporary politics, propaganda, peer-pressure and power. * Rachel Kowalski, Irish Historical Studies *
This highly engaging and impressively detailed book provides a new economic and social historiography of the Irish War of Independence. * Marc Morgan, Journal of Economic History *
This study, which won the Donald Murphy prize for a distinguished first book, provides a valuable and authoritative new perspective on the history of forces behind the struggle for Irish independence. * Francis M. Carroll, English Historical Review *


Awards
Winner of Winner, 2022 Donald Murphy Prize.



Book Information
ISBN 9780192849625
Author R. J. C. Adams
Format Hardback
Page Count 338
Imprint Oxford University Press
Publisher Oxford University Press
Weight(grams) 520g
Dimensions(mm) 223mm * 145mm * 23mm