Richard English was born in 1963 in Belfast, where he is Professor of Politics at Queen's University. He is the author of several books, two of them published by Pan Macmillan: Armed Struggle: The History of the IRA, which won the Politics Book of the Year Award for 2003 from the Political Studies Association and was shortlisted for the Ewart-Biggs Memorial Prize, and Irish Freedom: The History of Nationalism in Ireland, which was longlisted for both the Duff Cooper Prize and the Samuel Johnson Prize and won the Ewart-Biggs Memorial Prize. Professor English is a frequent media commentator on Irish politics, and has written on Ireland for the Irish Times, the Times Literary Supplement, Newsweek, the Financial Times and the Times Higher Education Supplement.
'an essential book closely-reasoned, formidably intelligent and utterly compelling required reading across the political spectrum important and riveting' Roy Foster, The Times 'an outstanding new book on the IRA a calm, rational but in the end devastating deconstruction of the IRA' Henry McDonald, Observer 'superb the first full history of the IRA and the best overall account of the organization. English writes to the highest scholarly standards Moreover, he writes with the common reader in mind: he has crafted a fine balance of detail and analysis and his prose is clear, fresh and jargon-free sets a new standard for debate on republicanism' Peter Hart, Irish Times 'a work which eclipses all other studies of the IRA and must now be regarded as the single most important book on the topic a penetrating and rewarding study' Keith Jeffery, Times Literary Supplement 'excellent book' Patrick Bishop, Daily Telegraph 'the best analytical history of the IRA yet written. Even those who grew up with the Troubles will find it a provocative and freshly compelling work. More importantly, perhaps, fifty years from now it will still be required reading generations who look back and wonder what the Northern conflict was all about will find many of their answers here. Superb the rigour and depth of English's analysis is exceptional' Niall Strange, Sunday Business Post 'fluent, fascinating account of the origins, actions and ideologies of that caucus of shadows, the Provisional IRA an enormous challenge of narrative, historical research and tact. In all these regards, English succeeds his description of what he refers to as the "personal" consequences of republican violence is ultimately as heartbreaking as it is dispassionate' Joseph O'Neill, Guardian 'a great book. What impressed me most was the way Richard English managed to present such an historical and contradictory mess with such clarity and fairness. The book grabbed and held me like a very good novel' Roddy Doyle, author of A Star Called Henry 'This is a book whose time has come. At a historic moment when Irish republicanism is in the process of redefining itself, a highly-talented historian gives a compelling analysis of its past. The book's genius lies in its non-judgemental approach, an approach which has induced many leading republicans to speak more frankly to Richard English than they have done to any previous historian. This mixture of skilful historical research and totally new personal statements from key republicans makes this a captivating, authoritative and highly readable book. It is masterly and hard-hitting and is likely to become something of a modern classic.' Marianne Elliott, author of The Catholics of Ulster 'an impressive achievement Richard English's study is the most probing and thorough analysis of the "Provies" ever. He ranges wider and uses a broader variety of sources than any previous writer. He seems to have read almost everything relevant, and has interviewed many key participants' Stephen Howe, Independent 'a marvellous piece of work: insightful, seriously academic and articulate, both in terms of its language and the maturity of its emotional content Here is an author fully in command of his data sources and arguments. His book is immensely readable, coherent, systematic and thoughtful an important book' Mike Ritchie, Ireland on Sunday 'page after page of cool, clear insights are the book's motif What sets Armed Struggle apart, though, is the strength of the pre-Provo years and the remarkable range of sources, both primary and secondary, to which English a Belfast-born Protestant has been given access' Steven King, Irish Independent 'This vivid, reflective work wil
'an essential book closely-reasoned, formidably intelligent and utterly compelling required reading across the political spectrum important and riveting' Roy Foster, The Times 'an outstanding new book on the IRA a calm, rational but in the end devastating deconstruction of the IRA' Henry McDonald, Observer 'superb the first full history of the IRA and the best overall account of the organization. English writes to the highest scholarly standards Moreover, he writes with the common reader in mind: he has crafted a fine balance of detail and analysis and his prose is clear, fresh and jargon-free sets a new standard for debate on republicanism' Peter Hart, Irish Times 'a work which eclipses all other studies of the IRA and must now be regarded as the single most important book on the topic a penetrating and rewarding study' Keith Jeffery, Times Literary Supplement 'excellent book' Patrick Bishop, Daily Telegraph 'the best analytical history of the IRA yet written. Even those who grew up with the Troubles will find it a provocative and freshly compelling work. More importantly, perhaps, fifty years from now it will still be required reading generations who look back and wonder what the Northern conflict was all about will find many of their answers here. Superb the rigour and depth of English's analysis is exceptional' Niall Strange, Sunday Business Post 'fluent, fascinating account of the origins, actions and ideologies of that caucus of shadows, the Provisional IRA an enormous challenge of narrative, historical research and tact. In all these regards, English succeeds his description of what he refers to as the "personal" consequences of republican violence is ultimately as heartbreaking as it is dispassionate' Joseph O'Neill, Guardian 'a great book. What impressed me most was the way Richard English managed to present such an historical and contradictory mess with such clarity and fairness. The book grabbed and held me like a very good novel' Roddy Doyle, author of A Star Called Henry 'This is a book whose time has come. At a historic moment when Irish republicanism is in the process of redefining itself, a highly-talented historian gives a compelling analysis of its past. The book's genius lies in its non-judgemental approach, an approach which has induced many leading republicans to speak more frankly to Richard English than they have done to any previous historian. This mixture of skilful historical research and totally new personal statements from key republicans makes this a captivating, authoritative and highly readable book. It is masterly and hard-hitting and is likely to become something of a modern classic.' Marianne Elliott, author of The Catholics of Ulster 'an impressive achievement Richard English's study is the most probing and thorough analysis of the "Provies" ever. He ranges wider and uses a broader variety of sources than any previous writer. He seems to have read almost everything relevant, and has interviewed many key participants' Stephen Howe, Independent 'a marvellous piece of work: insightful, seriously academic and articulate, both in terms of its language and the maturity of its emotional content Here is an author fully in command of his data sources and arguments. His book is immensely readable, coherent, systematic and thoughtful an important book' Mike Ritchie, Ireland on Sunday 'page after page of cool, clear insights are the book's motif What sets Armed Struggle apart, though, is the strength of the pre-Provo years and the remarkable range of sources, both primary and secondary, to which English a Belfast-born Protestant has been given access' Steven King, Irish Independent 'This vivid, reflective work wil
Since the signing of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, the peace process in Northern Ireland has been in almost perpetual crisis. Unionists have demanded that the IRA destroy all its weapons as a precondition to power sharing. The IRA sees giving in to such a demand as tantamount to admitting defeat. The result has been a frustrating political stalemate. English's balanced and complex account of the IRA, more particularly the Provisional IRA, will help anyone understand the strong feelings and difficult issues behind today's headlines. English (Ernie O'Malley: IRA Intellectual) emphasizes that the IRA has "courageously shifted ground" by accepting the concept of consent (i.e., that the island of Ireland won't be unified without the consent of the people of Northern Ireland), rather than continuing to pursue the violent reunification of Ireland. Indeed, English stresses, the Good Friday Agreement has split the IRA just as the 1922 treaty partitioning Ireland did. The author, a professor of politics at Queen's University in Belfast, makes some controversial assertions, as when he claims that the IRA's post-1969 violence, ostensibly aimed at protecting Catholics, only led to increased anti-Catholic carnage. Even more controversially, English calls into question the whole point of the long IRA war. What English does brilliantly is to describe the IRA's own justifications for its war against Britain, with special attention to the socialism pervading much IRA belief. He has written a provocative and essential book for anyone trying to understand Northern Ireland's tempestuous recent history, providing even better insight into the IRA's ideology than Ed Moloney's recent A Secret History of the IRA. Illus., maps not seen by PW. (Aug.) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
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