Product Description

1969 was a year of rising tension, violence and change for the people of Northern Ireland. Rioting in Derry's Bogside led to the deployment of British troops and a short-lived and uneasy truce. The British Army soon found itself engaged in an undercover war against the Provisional IRA, which was to last for more than 20 years. In this book, the author of "The Shankill Butchers" examines the roles played by the Provisional IRA, the State forces, the Irish Government and the British Army during this troubled period. He sets out to unravel the mystery of a conflict involving informers, agents and double agents, and offers evidence of the way in which the terrorists and the intelligence agencies target, undermine and penetrate each other's ranks.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #92650 in Books
• Published on: 1991-11-21
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 544 pages

Customer Reviews

Frightening and attracting . It must be read
Dillon's book provides a deep insight on the undercover side of the Northern Ireland "troubles". As the author says this work provides more questions than answers but it's part of its powerful attraction, keeping your attention on it from the first to the last word.It must be read while waiting for new light on the dark side of the conflict. You can read it as a thriller but you'll be suddenly frightened by the fact that it's not fiction. All the intrigue, perfidy, pain and suffering are real. It helps us to understand this painful conflict.

info you won't find elsewhere on northern irelands war
When this book first came out it was stunning,the detail separated it from most other books at the time. It details the violent conflict between the British security forces and the paramilitary organisations,particularly the Provisional IRA .Chapter 3 explains the IRA's discovery of the four square laundry British intelligence operation and consequent paranoia about informers in 1973. Chapter 6 is about the life and death of British army officer Robert Nairac who was trying to infiltrate the IRA. Chapter 7 recounts the Fred Holroyd and Colin Wallace affairs and alleged conspiracies that made big news in the 1980s. Chapter 11 is about the smaller republican group ,the INLA and the assassination of Airey Neave. A number of chapters on informers,this of course was written before the outing of top British informer within the IRA Stakeknife, but it's interesting to read this with the benefit of hindsight on this topic. Chapter 15 on the technology of surveillance by the British. And there's so much more,Over 500 pages,fantastic value.
2 final points,there are 2 maps in the book(one of northern ireland generallyand the other of Belfast and its main streets).This helps make sense for those of us outside northern ireland.
Secondly there's a very helpful timeline with all the major paramilitary incidents and political events between 1969 and 1990. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

A great book by a great author
I found this book fascinating to read, well researched and full of insider knowledge. An essential read for anybody interested in the recent history of Northern Ireland.