All fatalities of Irish Civil War listed for the first time in new book

Fri, 13 Sep, 2024 - 01:00

Eoin English

All the fatalities of the Irish Civil War have been listed for the first time in a major new book which sheds light on one of the defining episodes of Irish history.

The landmark publication, Atlas of the Irish Civil War: New perspectives, launched in Dublin on Thursday night, commits to print for the very first time a list of all the combatant and civilian fatalities of the war, and features contributions from more than 90 scholars from Ireland, the UK, and the US, with more than 400 colour photographs, paintings, archival documents, and a series of newly-created maps.

Atlas of the Irish Civil War: The cultural perspectives in the new book on the awful conflict

It is the latest in the multi-award-winning ‘Atlas’ series publishing phenomenon, and follows the Atlas of the Great Irish Famine (2012) and the Atlas of the Irish Revolution (2017), both of which were adapted to TV documentaries for RTÉ and both winners of the Best Irish Published Book of the Year at the Irish Book Awards.

The publication of this latest book in the Cork University Press series has been highly anticipated, with Atlas of the Irish Civil War selling out its first print run to the trade, such is the demand from bookstores.

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Edited by the University College Cork team of Dr Hélène O’Keeffe, Dr John Crowley, Dr Donal Ó Drisceoil, Dr John Borgonovo, and Mike Murphy, it has been produced in partnership with the National Library of Ireland with support from the Department of Culture and includes a foreword by President Michael D Higgins.

'Atlas of the Irish Civil War' sold out its first print run to the trade.

“This new volume is authoritative, accessible, and visually evocative,” Dr O’Keeffe said.

“Rather than offering a single narrative of the bitter conflict, Atlas of the Irish Civil War provides a multitude of perspectives based on exciting new research across a range of disciplines.

Comprised of scores of maps, hundreds of photos and documents, and contributions from 90 top scholars in the field, the volume informs, challenges, and expands our understanding of a war that is still debated over 100 years after its conclusion.

Dr Audrey Whitty, director of the National Library of Ireland, said this volume enriches our understanding of the Civil War’s complexities and its lasting impact on Irish society.

Culture Minister Catherine Martin described the Irish Civil War as a great national tragedy that left a deep wound in the newly-independent State.

“ Atlas of the Irish Civil War: New perspectives presents a nuanced understanding of this tragic, tumultuous, and complex period in Irish history,” she said.

Donal Ó Drisceoil, John Borgonovo, Maria O’Donovan, Mike Murphy, Hélène O’Keeffe, John Crowley, Audrey Whitty, and Sinéad Neville at the launch of 'Atlas of the Irish Civil War: New perspectives' by Cork University Press at the National Library of Ireland. Picture: Maxwells

“The atlas features contributions from a diverse swath of leading scholars from a range of disciplines and it is robustly underpinned by the data and newly-created maps produced by UCC under its recently-completed research Mapping the Irish Civil War Fatalities project and is richly illustrated with photographs and archival documents through a wonderful and rewarding partnership with the National Library of Ireland.

“The enormous and thorough work undertaken in the scoping, research, and design of the atlas serves to deepen our appreciation of the challenges faced and sacrifices made by many directly-affected individuals, families, and communities in the early days of the nascent State."

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