Tom Barry chronicles the action-packed life of the Commander of the Third West Cork Flying Column and one of the great architects of modern guerrilla warfare in Ireland's fight for freedom. 'The false surrender' controversy, during the decisive Kilmichael ambush, is brought into sharp focus in this book, as is the controversy regarding sectarianism during the 1920-22 period.

The story of Tom Barry's life, peppered with his battles with the State and Church and his constant deavours to obtain an All Ireland public makes him a unique and important figure of Irish history. In 1949 , when he addressed huge crowds in New York, Chicago, Pittsburgh and Boston, his voice rang out 'My one aim is to unite the Irish people - one race ... The Border will not fade away, or the Partition will not be ended until such time as the united strength is used in a supreme effort to get rid of it.'

Tom Barry details his involvement on the fringes of the Treaty negotiations; his Republican activities during the Civil War; his engagement in the cease-fire/dump-arms deal of 1923; his term as the IRA's Chief-of-Staff and his participation in IRA conflicts in the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s, right up to his death in 1980.

With an extensive body of primary source material, including Tom Barry's papers, this action-packed biography will appeal equally to both the general reader and to students of Irish history.

Meda Ryan is a native of Bandon in West Cork and now lives in Ennis, Co. Clare. Her published books include Michael Collins and the Women in his Life, The Day Michael Collins was Shot, and The Real Chief - the Story of Liam Lynch.

Published by MERCIER PRESS, Douglas Village, Cork.

www.mercierpress.ie

ISBN 1-85635-425-3