About the Author

Colum Kenny is Professor Emeritus at Dublin City University. A barrister, journalist and historian, he has written widely on culture and society. His books include An Irish-American Odyssey (2014) and Moments that Changed Us: Ireland after 1973 (2005). A founding board member of the E.U. Media Desk in Ireland, he served on the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland.

Reviews

‘Certainly, by the end of this meticulously researched biography Griffith himself is no enigma. Rather, his life and times, his context, persona, principles and perceptions are laid bare.’
*Studies*

Colum Kenny’s work adds to the developing body of research into the worthy and neglected ‘enigma’ that was Arthur Griffith. As the decade of centenaries nears its final years, the past could benefit much from such in-depth analysis and examination as exemplified in this work by Colum Kenny.
*The Gown at QUB*

Colum Kenny believes his character and outlook cannot be understood without appreciating the following factors: his poverty and that of his city; the lasting trauma of the Parnell split; the role of the Catholic Church; catastrophic and continuing emigration; and British economic and political repression. The chapter on Griffith being possibly 'un-Irish' is very interesting and there is great insight into the pivotal moment in 1917 when he yielded the Sinn Féin leadership to de Valera. 'If you seek his monument,' look at the modern, independent State into which Ireland has grown.
*The Irish Times*

Interesting and penetrating...[an] excellent book. 
*Senior Times*