Bandit Country: The IRA and South Armagh

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Collin's book 'Killing Rage' is a graphic account of his personal involvement in Provisional IRA military activities and his later disillusionment. As an American I found myself continually referring to the map at the front of this thick tome to orient myself. Bandit Country is a must-read for any Republican or anyone interested in the history of South Armagh. In this acclaimed work of reportage, originally published in 2000, Toby Harnden stripped away the myth and propaganda associated with the region to produce one of the most compelling and important books on the Troubles.

Given the huge temperamental and historical differences between South Armagh on the one hand and the Belfast and Derry brigades, you leave the book surprised that Tom "Slab" Murphy and Gerry Adams were ever in the same organisation, let alone that South Armagh stuck with the Adams/McGuinness leadership through the change to a political approach. Regardless of one's point of view toward the cause of the conflict, it is almost unbearably sad to read about the violence wreaked upon the people of this beautiful land. Miriam Daly grew up in Dublin in the South-East of Ireland, attended University College Dublin (UCD) as both an undergraduate and then a postgraduate student, and subsequently became a member of the academic staff, lecturing in Economic History. It also gives an insight of the British soldiers that should not have been allowed patrol such an area due to their youth and time ahead of them in their life. Toby Harnden has stripped away the myth and propaganda associated with South Armagh to produce one of the most compelling and important books of the Troubles.I believe that on of its overall strengths is the amount of new detail contained throughout - the book is not just a collection of what is already in the public domain. includes references and comments from British army officials, sínn feín officials and members of the provisional IRA. The focus was on the IRA activities, but it also covers "dirty deeds" by the crown and local government, as well as Protestant militias. You should take care when trying on items to ensure that clothing is not stained with fake tan, make-up deodorant etc. The author, throughout the book, chronicles Provisional IRA operations mounted against the British, which allegedly had their origins in South Armagh, including the cripplingly, massive London Docklands bomb and the innovative nature of those actions.

As other reviewers have commented, Harnden's impartiality will surprise many given the editorial line of his employer 'The Daily Telegraph'. I think a further book must exist somewhere which may shine a light on how far divisions have been healed as it seems incredulous to think that things are now chunky dory as the separations between community's ran deep at times through the period recorded. If I had to pick a top ten most influential books from growing up, this would undoubtedly be on the list. Toby Harnden's book, Bandit Country, is an incredible glance at the unbeaten, undefeated South Armagh. The book draws lines connecting the region to almost every major event throughout the Troubles, even those that occurred elsewhere, such as the Omagh bombing in 1998 and the killing of Lord Mountbatten in the Irish Republic in 1979.The very mention of South Armagh can send a shiver down the spine of any one of the tens of thousands of soldiers who have served there since the 'Troubles' began. Additionally, the author records various acts of sectarian massacres carried out against Protestant civilians. Focusing on both issues of his homeland and further afield, he seeks to translate stories of society to a photographic audience. I live in this area and although the book doesn't speak for everyone in South Armagh it's still very good. My own copy, a birthday present from a life long friend, is literally falling to pieces it has been thumbed through so many times by numerous people.

May have some underlining and highlighting of text and some writing in the margins, but there are no missing pages or anything else that would compromise the readability or legibility of the text. We give people around the world the opportunity to contribute to the circular economy, earn money and protect the planet, by trading their unwanted books and media. It's impossible to cram all the history and all the events into a digestible format and the author did a fantastic job of laying out the history, the characters and the sequence of events from the 1970's to the Good Friday agreement. I'm not sure how successful this was as there where times when the commentary did seem slanted in regard upholding the 'bandit county' title of the book. Particularly revelatory a the time of publication was the tale of Robert Nairac and his tragic fate a he hands of IRA thugs.

No one side is presented in a purely negative or positive light; as in real life, there are many shades of grey. While they may have sentimental value, bibles passed down through the family are not often worth a lot of money. We are unable to offer refunds on digital purchases once payment is complete and the links have been sent.

The majority of pages are undamaged with some creasing or tearing, and pencil underlining of text, but this is minimal.At times the chapters are alternately chronological or thematic with the discussion skipping forward or back in time.