The Irish Republican Brotherhood, 1914-1924

In The Irish Republican Brotherhood 1914–1924, John O’Beirne Ranelagh lifts the veil on the fascinating story of the IRB during the most critical phase of its campaign for Irish independence. With a father who was a member of the IRB and took part in the Easter Rising, War of Independence and the Civil War as an anti-Treaty officer, he had unique access to the generation of men and women who populated its ranks, many of whom refused to be interviewed by anyone else. Using personal testimonies from almost 100 key figures he interviewed, such as Éamon de Valera, Sheila Humphries, Emmet Dalton, Todd Andrews, Vinnie Byrne and Moss Twomey, as well as new archival material, Ranelagh unravels the true influence of the organisation to which Michael Collins pledged his foremost loyalty.

An enthralling exploration of secret societies, political manoeuvres and personal sacrifices, this book casts new light on a pivotal chapter in Ireland’s quest for independence. This is the hitherto unpublished chapter in modern Irish history.


John Ranelagh is the author of A Short History of Ireland (1983) and CIA: A History (1992). From 1974 to 1979 he was at the Conservative Research Department where he first had responsibility for Education policy, and then for Foreign policy. He worked at TV2 in Norway, and he was created a Knight First Class by King Harald V of Norway in 2013 in the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit, for outstanding service in the interest of Norway.