Description
'Britain in Ireland is a beast exceeding terrible; his feet and claws are of iron,' The Invincibles
In an Ireland still reeling from years of famine, with tenant farmers being evicted and left to starve for their inability to pay exorbitant rents, revolutionary fervour was growing. An inner circle of the IRB was formed, a secret assassination squad within a secret society - the Irish National Invincibles. Their mission was to strike at the heart of British Imperial power, to kill the figureheads of Ireland's oppressors.
On their way home from a triumphal parade through the city, Lord Frederick Cavendish and Thomas Burke, two of the heads of the establishment, were set upon and stabbed to death in the Phoenix Park. These killings would shake the Empire to its core, and shape the following decades of Irish history.
About the Author
Shane Kenna was a Doctor of modern Irish history with an interest in late Victorian and Edwardian Irish nationalism. He was a regular speaker at international academic conferences, a media presence with Newstalk Radio, Near FM, BBC Radio 4 and published author who wrote for Irish Academic Press, The O'Brien Press, History Ireland, the BBC History Magazine and Kilmainham Tales. Shane lectured at Trinity College, Dublin and Saor Ollscoil na hEireann University and also designed modules on Irish history for the American College, Arcadia University, as well as organising and managing several courses on Modern History. He died in February 2017. RUAN O'DONNELL is head of the History Department at the University of Limerick & the official historian of the Robert Emmet Association. He has written for The Irish Times and several historical publications.
Reviews
well-researched ... readable ... almost a crime novel
* Tirconaill Tribune *terrific. Kenna has married his deep, exhaustive scholarship of the subject with his natural storytelling skills to produce a hugely authoritative work that should be a magnet to the popular reader and the specialist
* History Ireland *this book is Kenna's fitting testament
* Irish Times *a detailed and highly readable book ... His deep knowledge of Republicanism of this period is reflected in the book ... Readers already familiar with the subject will find new insight for Kenna provides fresh understanding, based on detailed research
* The Pensive Quill *a detailed and highly readable book [from] one of the specialists of Fenianism and late Victorian Republicanism .. Readers already familiar with the subject will find new insight for Kenna provides fresh understanding, based on detailed research
-- Dr. Dieter Reinisch * An Spreach Magazine *well-researched study is sober in judgement and rich in detail
-- Irish ExaminerBook Information
ISBN 9781788490603
Author Dr. Shane Kenna
Format Hardback
Page Count 336
Imprint O'Brien Press Ltd
Publisher O'Brien Press Ltd
Weight(grams) 618g
Dimensions(mm) 228mm * 155mm * 32mm
