Balanced account(s) of IRA

[ex_next_worker]

Can anyone recommend any scholarly accounts that deal with analysing IRA and "the Troubles"? Perhaps something from a left perspective?

[Pogue]

Tim Pat Coogan - The IRA. He was in Belfast during the troubles and spent time with Republicans.

If you want the older, more historical IRA then the Ken Loach (socialist director) film "The Wind That Shakes the Barley" is an amazingly good film about Irish Republican Socialists.

[Sasha]

Tim Pat Coogan - The IRA. He was in Belfast during the troubles and spent time with Republicans.

this, excelent book.

[Jorge Miguel]

Coogan isn't left-wing - I have his book but haven't read it, so can't comment. I'll dig out some titles for you in a day or two comrade.

I'd recommend the book by French Marxist Maurice Goldring called 'Faith of our fathers - a study of Irish nationalism'. You can get it on Abebooks or contacting the Workers Party of Ireland.

[Jorge Miguel]

Related link - http://www.workerspartyireland.net/publications.html

I'd also recommend the 'Armed struggle' document by the Communist Party of Ireland dated 1988. It started as an open letter to the IRA and resulted in a debate on armed struggle from various strands of the workers movement. It's archived online, check Cedar Lounge Revolution for it.

[ex_next_worker]

Thanks to everyone!:thumbup1:

[Jorge Miguel]

Another related link - http://wordpress.com/tag/irish-left-archive/

Good luck :)

[communard resolution]

So what did everybody think of the recent film 'Hunger'?

[Sugar Hill Kevis]

So what did everybody think of the recent film 'Hunger'?

I havn't seen it yet, but from talking to one of my friends he gave forth the impression that it's very good... very gritty, but very expressive...

[communard resolution]

That's what I thought too, and I also found it to be very effective: it's almost impossible to walk out without having any sympathies. I'm a bit surprised British institutions would fund this project.

[Conghaileach]

Can anyone recommend any scholarly accounts that deal with analysing IRA and "the Troubles"? Perhaps something from a left perspective?

Peter Berresford Ellis, A History of the Irish Working Class (much broader than just the last 30 years, it gives an overview of about 1,000 years of Irish history from a working class perspective).

Denis O'Hearn, Nothing but an Unfinished Song: Bobby Sands, the Irish Hunger Striker Who Ignited a Generation (O'Hearn is a US-born leftist who has spent a lot of time in Ireland and also in Mexico with the Zapatistas. This book covers Sands's life and gives a good overview of the the recent "Troubles" though his experiences).

Michael Farrell, Northern Ireland: the Orange State (Farrell was a leading member of the People's Democracy and of the Civil Rights Movement. This second edition of this book was published in 1980 so it only goes as far as that date).

Liz Curtis, Ireland: the Propaganda War (focuses almost entirely on the media and how it portrayed the situation here).

Laurence McKeown, Out of Time: Irish Republican Prisoners, Long Kesh 1972-2000 (based on McKeown's PhD, it deals mostly with republican POWs).

Also, John Whyte's book, Interpreting Northern Ireland, is an academic book that has a chapter on the various Marxist interpretations of the conflict, from those who view it in a colonial context to the views of the "revisionist Marxists", such as the defunct BICO group.

Peter Hadden of the Socialist Party published a book, called Towards Division Not Peace. I'm not fond of the book, and this snippet from a review will give a good idea why:
Amongst other criticisms I could make, the pamphlet is characterised by magical thinking, which postulates that whatever we say is so becomes so. Therefore, since the British conceded the original NICRA demands, plus the Fair Employment Act and some other bells and whistles, it follows that discrimination no longer exists in any serious form. Many nationalist grievances are imaginary, and furthermore nationalists should keep quiet about them, because harping on these minor grievances only militates against the workers’ unity that is held to be constantly imminent – in fact, to even raise a grievance about sectarianism is, well, sectarian. (http://splinteredsunrise.wordpress.com/2007/01/18/and-the-skies-are-not-cloudy-part-3/) (The review links to a copy of the book that can be read online.)

[Andropov]

If people are interested on the Irish question I suggest they have a look at "The Lost Revolution" by Hanley and Miller (I think).
Its one of the best books out there at the minute, miles ahead of the muck Tim Pat Coogan spews out or the Provo sentimentality that is quite common in many new texts.
Its completely biased towards the OIRA/Workers Party but was badly needed since this era of Irish history has been saturated with Pro-Provisional literature with the OIRA largely consigned to the dust heap of history when in reality they were very influential throughout the past few decades whether that be for the right or wrong reasons.

[Palingenisis]

The Secret Army by Bouyer Bell is excellent.

[bcbm]

its been years since i read it, but i recall "armed struggle: the history of the ira" by richard english being pretty good.