During the War of Independence, when Ernie O'Malley lay under sentence of death in Mountjoy prison hospital, some notes of his were smuggled out. Most of all,' he wrote, I would have liked to talk about the rank and file where I found solace.' This book is indeed O'Malley's tribute to his fellow soldiers, in which he provides an account of various offensives against the British in 1920-21. O'Malley took part in three offensives and had first-hand knowledge several others, which are detailed in a unique and informed perspective in this book.
During the War of Independence, when Ernie O'Malley lay under sentence of death in Mountjoy prison hospital, some notes of his were smuggled out. Most...