Revolution in Ireland is an engaging and highly original account of the War of Independence, with a focus on the trade union movement, but with analysis of the major figures and political parties of the years 1917-1923.
 
It details the extraordinary militancy of the working class across all thirty-two counties and discusses in depth events such as the Limerick Soviet of 1919.  It stresses the large scale and considerable impact of mass action and labour activism, challenging traditional interpretations that focus almost exclusively on the role of armed groups. There is a full account of the strikes, factory occupations and land seizures that shook Irish society. It details popular involvement in the struggles of those years, paying particular attention to the socialist and trade union movement. This revised edition consists of a comprehensive rewrite that updates the work in the light of recent publications and the release of new archive materials. In particular, this new edition includes new eyewitness accounts from the archives of the Bureau of Military History including the testimony of notable trade union activists, an extension of the account of the mutiny of the Connaught Rangers (28 June 1920), and extra information on Michael Collins’ intelligence system.
 
After reading this book, there can be no doubt about the importance of the working class movement in the struggle for independence, but why didn’t the enormous scale of popular revolt lead to a strong Labour or Communist party in Ireland? Kostick attempts to answer this question with a close examination of the political debates in the workers’ movement.
 
Conor Kostick is an award-winning author of both history and fiction. He teaches History in Trinity College Dublin.

Further information about the book is available on http://www.corkuniversitypress.com

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