This biography reveals the full significance of Robert Briscoe s influence within the contentious political culture of the early Irish state, as well as reinforcing his importance to the global Zionist rescue effort of the 1930s. Drawing on a wealth of previously unavailable archival material, the book charts Briscoe s evolution from a fringe Sinn Fein activist in 1917 to a member of Michael Collins s personal staff in 1921. It also analyses his agonizing decision to abandon Collins and support the anti-Treaty stance of his close friend and political hero, Eamon de Valera, before becoming a...