Someone Has to Die for This

Hot on the heels of Killing at its Very Extreme, Dublin: October 1917 - November 1920, Someone Has to Die for This, Dublin: November 1920 - July 1921 wrenches the reader into the final frenetic months of Dublin's War of Independence, in uncompromising, unflinching, and unprecedented detail. The reader will follow in the footsteps of IRA assassination units on Bloody Sunday, witness the hellish conditions in Croke Park, taste the gripping tension that stalked the city as intelligence services battled it out over the winter, while equally clandestine peace feelers were set in play.

The pressure ratchets up in 1921 as surging IRA Active Service Units take the fight to the Auxiliaries, police and military in Dublin. Swathes of the country erupt into violent attacks and barbarous reprisals. Killings escalate in daily ambushes. Prison escapes are vividly detailed, as are the Mountjoy hangings. Shuttle diplomacy intensifies as a settlement is desperately sought, but fault lines develop among the Republican leadership.

Street-battles paralyse the city with civilians bearing a brutal burden; the IRA relentlessly presses on. The devastating Custom House attack precedes the war's ferocious final weeks, culminating in a near bloodbath that almost scuppered the truce. Experience these breathtaking events through the eyes of their participants. This is an unforgettable story, its style providing long-overdue justice.

Auteur

Derek Molyneux and Darren Kelly are the co-authors of Killing at its Very Extreme, Dublin Ocotber 1917 - November 1920 (Mercier Press 2020) When the Clock Struck in 1916 - Close Quarter Combat in the Easter Rising (The Collins Press 2015) and Those of us Who Must Die - Execution, Exile and Revival After the Easter Rising (The Collins Press 2017). They have also written feature pieces for the Irish Times and History Ireland. Derek has participated on numerous occasions in radio interviews and live debates in matters relating to Irish revolutionary history. Darren and Derek administrate the Facebook page Dublin 1916 - 1923 Then and Now which has in excess of 10,000 followers. Both men are life-long friends, with a shared passion for Irish and military history. Derek resides in County Westmeath. He works for the OPW. Darren resides in Essex, England. He is a full-time author/historian.