General Eoin O'Duffy : The Political Life of an Irish Firebrand.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Traynor, Jack.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Revolutionaries--Ireland--Biography.

Revolutionaries.

Fascists--Ireland--Biography.

Fascists.

Generals--Ireland--Biography.

Generals.

Ireland--History--Civil War, 1922-1923.

Ireland.

Ireland--Politics and government--1922-1949.

O'Duffy, Eoin.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (242 pages)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Jefferson : McFarland & Company, Incorporated Publishers, 2024.

Summary:

"Although most of the prominent figures from Ireland's revolutionary generation have been endlessly profiled and commemorated, the controversial General Eoin O'Duffy remains a pariah. Despite reaching the towering heights of leadership in the republican movement during the Irish revolutionary period and subsequently becoming a key state-builder in early independent Ireland as head of the national police force, O'Duffy's legacy retains a whiff of sulphur. It has been undoubtedly tarnished by his controversial political career in the 1930s, including his leadership of the fascistic Blueshirts and his pro-Franco involvement in the Spanish Civil War. Using a blend of well-charted and previously overlooked or unavailable material, this study examines the tumultuous periods of Ireland's struggle for independence and the early Irish Free State by utilising a biographical lens. It foregrounds O'Duffy's place within pro-Treaty Irish nationalism, as a militarist and supporter of Michael Collins who became a safe pair of hands relied upon to rescue the pro-Treaty regime during crises. It offers new interpretations on his involvement within international fascism and provides much needed nuance on the prevalence of crypto-fascist outlooks in the 1930s. It seeks to blow away the cobwebs of mythology and recalibrate our understanding of this most controversial Irishman."-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Cover

Preface

1. Beginnings

2. Eoin O'Duffy's War

3. From Truce to Treaty

4. The Treaty

5. The Civil War

6. Building the Guards

7. Leading the Blueshirts

8. In Politics

9. National Corporate Party

10. The Spanish Civil War

11. The Emergency

Epilogue

Postscript

Acknowledgments

Chapter Notes

Bibliography

Index.

Notes:

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

ISBN:

1-4766-5133-7