Product Description

Sent to Ireland in 1920 by Lloyd George's Coalition Cabinet, the Black and Tans acquired a fearsome reputation in their task of suppressing the IRA and united Irish and British public opinion against the government. This volume tells their story.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #255297 in Books
• Published on: 2001-05-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 228 pages

Customer Reviews

A Misleading Title
Although appearing to be new or recent, this book was first published in 1959 and provides no particular insight into the Black and Tans, being more a general history of the troubles in Ireland from 1919 to 1921. It is a sound, readable account of the insurgency and of the politics of the time, mainly from the point of view of the British government. The treatment of the Irish politicians and rebels is somewhat superficial. The most disappointing aspect for anyone wanting to learn more, specifically, about the Black and Tans is that whilst cataloguing their actions, albeit at a fairly high level, there is nothing about the men themselves. There is very little in the way of first person recollections, either from the members of the RIC, Auxiliaries or the Black & Tans themselves, from those Irishmen and women who encountered them and little even from the nascent IRA about their own experiences of insurgent warfare. There is nothing about recruitment, training, organisation, equipment, tactics, etc., and even their distinctive appearance and the reason for their nickname gets just a single sentence. It is a reasonable introduction to this period, as it can be read through quickly to gain an understanding of the birth of the Republic of Ireland. I could not recognise the bias against the Irish rebels reported by some American reviewers of the book which has been attributed to the author being an army officer. For me, the author seemed even handed in his treatment of the atrocities and outrages perpetrated on both sides, which could be a problem for those wishing to see Republican myths perpetuated. I could discern no "agenda". There is certainly no starry-eyed romanticism concerning the personalities of the early IRA. I finished the book feeling a little sad that the lessons of history are forgotten by the arrogance and lack of humility of modern governments and their insistence on "looking forwards" (usually blindly). We seem destined therefore to always repeat the mistakes of the past. The definitive study of the Black & Tans as a para-military organisation is still awaited and I can only recommend this book as an introduction to this period in Irish history.

This book is not what it claims to be!
I was instantly drawn to this book because the purported subject is one that is still shrouded in mystery, fable and demonised infamy and no difinative book on the subject existed, but this book is sadly not it.
The book is an abridged version of the Irish "War of Independance" or "troubles" depending on your view point, the "Black and Tans" are only mentioned as casualty figures and for their actions and there is nothing within which gives an insight into the Men who populated its ranks.
In the whole book there is only one quote from someone who served with them, when asked about an infamous wave of distruction on a town the Gentleman in question states "well it was near Christmas", that's it.

If your looking for a book on the "Black and Tans" this isn't it, if your looking for a book which details this period in British/Irish history then I'm afraid it fails on this as well as the facts are abridged almost to trivia. Ask yourself if a book covering almost 3 years of violent history can be contained within only 222 pages? The only redeeming feature I can find in the book is that it's coverage of the subject is as even handed as I have found.

The last throw of the dice for John Bull
Having read several books on the period in question, this one of the most bias books i have come across. It treats the efforts of the Irish to free themselves from the dead hand of British colonial rule with distain.
The fact remains that over the centuries there were many rebellions by a people coerced and bullied. And yet the author fails to see that in the end the British government had lost touch completely with the wishes of the Irish people.
Where in this book is the info on recruitment, training, tactics and equipment. Where is the first hand accounts of the victims of the Black and Tans.
These men were fighting a dirty war against a force which had the support of the overwhelming number of people in Ireland. Sadly a lot of the facts about the outrages committed by the Black and Tans are still embargoed under the 100 year rule in government records.
If one wishes to see a less bias account from a British point of view, read "The British Campaign in Ireland 1919 - 1921" by Charles Townsend or "Forever Ireland" by FP Crozier.