abbynewlonoplv3

Abby Newlon Period 8 OPVL #3 2/20/12

O'Halpin, Eunan. //Defending Ireland: The Irish State and Its Enemies since 1922//. Oxford: Oxford UP, 1999. Print

Origin- This book was written in 1999 by Eunin O’Haplin, graduate of the University of Cambridge and Professor of Contemporary Irish History at Trinity College in Dublin. He specializes in British and Irish history and politics of the 20th century and is the son of an IRA member. The book was published in 1999 by Oxford University Press in Oxford but has also been published in New York City.

Purpose- The purpose of this book is to inform the reader on Ireland and its enemies since 1922 (after the Irish Civil War). Some of these enemies were external, such as Britain. But some of these enemies were found inside the country, like the IRA.

Value- A value of this source is that unlike the previous book that I read, it focuses on events in Ireland determined by people other than the government. Instead of talking about the political happenings that caused tensions within the country after the civil war, O’Halpin sheds light on the issues caused by the IRA, Britain, and the economy. Another value of this source is that the author is the son of an IRA member and therefore gives the perspective from someone who was on the “bad” side instead of a government official or a historian with no personal recollection of the fighting. It also includes a lot of primary sources within book.

Limitations- A limitation of this source is that it doesn’t really take into account the actions of different political parties in combination with those of the IRA and Britain. It only focuses on the outside influences instead of combining with the inside. Another limitation is that it is very text heavy and therefore some of the valuable information is lost due to the length.