Book review: A short history of the Irish Revolution

Your jump start to irish history:"A short history of the Irish Revolution" by Richard Killeen.

If you are amongst the visitors/citizens of Ireland who ask themselves why Hibernia is seprated and how this came to pass Richard Killeen's 152 page short overview is just right for you.

The book was a personal gift from an Irish native to me while I was reading the biography of Michael Collins. Having expressed my confusion with the details of the Irish revolution and where to put Collins in the broader picture this book definetly helped.

"A short history of the Irish revolution" opens with H.H. Asquith becoming Prime Minister of the UK in 1908, taking the reader to the Easter Rising of 1916 describing the Civil War until the establishment of Northern Ireland in May 1921 and closes with the definite seperation in 1923 after Collins death as the most prominent casualty of the war.

Richard Killeen delivers a chronological approach to the events that majorly formed today's Ireland. The compact format lacks discussion of the turning points in this period of time while all relevant historical characters and events are introduced to the reader.

My personal impression is that Killeen provides a pro Eamon de Valera and contra Michael Collins view of events while delivering the expected short overview. This book is highly recommended to everybody who wants to start with modern Irish history.