Irish Rebel: John Devoy and America's Fight for Ireland's Freedom

Rating:
Summary: Fenian's Rainbow
Review: Golway tells the tale of John Devoy, greatest of the American Fenians, and a pivotal, if hitherto neglected, figure in the history of Irish nationalism. Devoy was an longlived agitator, fundraiser, journalist, convicted Irish revolutionary and American refugee who bankrolled Parnell, Patrick Pearse and Michael Collins, butted heads with the Ulster Presbyterian Woodrow Wilson and the egomaniacal Eamon de Valera, and sacrificed his personal happiness in the process. Golway's prose is sharp and terse, with a propulsive narrative drive. A fine work of history.

Rating:
Summary: Accentuating the Negative
Review: I hoped this book would confirm the above Synopsis and Kirkus and NY Times reviews which I already knew to be accurate as to Devoy, the subject. It is nicely written and contains much valuable and interesting detail. But, for reasons known only to the author, he selected nearly exclusively negative quotes to characterize Devoy and his tens of thousands of supporters of democracy for Ireland. It is on them, rather than on the genocidists opposing them, that the author pours the vocabulary of abuse. Only a psychology textbook could contain more synonyms for mental disorder than this book. It is full of "bitter; hate; hateful; hatred; grievance, old resentments; vengeance; murder; folly; ratholes of conspiracy; an Irish fight; a race of treacherous murderers; band of murderers; half-breed Jew; self-pity; divisive; slander; invective; irrational; acrimony; libel; firebrand; obsession; imbecile; foul; gross; vulgar; a murder society; destructive; decadence; raving lunatic; agrarian crime; wild tumult; fanatic; potatoes - neither man nor pig wanted more; perverse; turbulent; terrorists; violent; illicit; drunkenness and dishonesty; assassination; wretched quarrel; miserable; perfidy; stupid anger; vitriolic; contentious; treacherous; raged;" etc. Perhaps worst of all, the author indicates that it wasn't a republic (and all the benefits that flow therefrom) that Devoy et al struggled for, but for "a mystical, martyr-producing organism that could trace its bloody and tragic ancestry to Theobald Wolfe Tone." This grotesque slur that may well be explained by the author's execrable choice of sources: Cruise O'Brien, Edwards, O Grada, McCaffrey, et al. They constitute much of the "Potato Famine" school of Irish history which denies the existence and central role of the 75 British regiments that murdered 5.2 millions in the Irish Holocaust. Still; three stars is about right. It was worth the read if not the price. From it I learned that Devoy wrote an autobiography; "Recollections of an Irish Rebel" that I really want.

Rating:
Summary: Accentuating the Negative
Review: I hoped this book would confirm the above Synopsis and Kirkus and NY Times reviews which I already knew to be accurate as to Devoy, the subject. It is nicely written and contains much valuable and interesting detail. But, for reasons known only to the author, he selected nearly exclusively negative quotes to characterize Devoy and his tens of thousands of supporters of democracy for Ireland. It is on them, rather than on the genocidists opposing them, that the author pours the vocabulary of abuse. Only a psychology textbook could contain more synonyms for mental disorder than this book. It is full of "bitter; hate; hateful; hatred; grievance, old resentments; vengeance; murder; folly; ratholes of conspiracy; an Irish fight; a race of treacherous murderers; band of murderers; half-breed Jew; self-pity; divisive; slander; invective; irrational; acrimony; libel; firebrand; obsession; imbecile; foul; gross; vulgar; a murder society; destructive; decadence; raving lunatic; agrarian crime; wild tumult; fanatic; potatoes - neither man nor pig wanted more; perverse; turbulent; terrorists; violent; illicit; drunkenness and dishonesty; assassination; wretched quarrel; miserable; perfidy; stupid anger; vitriolic; contentious; treacherous; raged;" etc. Perhaps worst of all, the author indicates that it wasn't a republic (and all the benefits that flow therefrom) that Devoy et al struggled for, but for "a mystical, martyr-producing organism that could trace its bloody and tragic ancestry to Theobald Wolfe Tone." This grotesque slur that may well be explained by the author's execrable choice of sources: Cruise O'Brien, Edwards, O Grada, McCaffrey, et al. They constitute much of the "Potato Famine" school of Irish history which denies the existence and central role of the 75 British regiments that murdered 5.2 millions in the Irish Holocaust. Still; three stars is about right. It was worth the read if not the price. From it I learned that Devoy wrote an autobiography; "Recollections of an Irish Rebel" that I really want.

Rating:
Summary: Valuable intro to Irish America's support for Irish rebels
Review: I wanted to take the opportunity to write after finishing the book this past week; it's a good start for anybody curious about the roots of the support--in money, arms, rhetoric, and/or direct assistance--that Irish Americans have long given for Irish freedom. Often, the zeal of the "exiled children in America", as we're referred to in the Irish Proclamation of Independence from 1916, has surpassed that of those Irish we've left behind back home. Golway's book gives you some of the reasons why this disparity may have emerged--the force of the Famine, deportation of many Fenians, the Civil War's effect in giving unwitting assistance to many Americans who returned to agitate in Ireland and abroad, and the economic success gained by a few Irish emigrants and even more the sacrifices of a few dollars of many many more Irish who did the grunt-work which fueled the fortunes of those few, no doubt. Today, many of these emigrants' descendants are criticized as "plastic Paddies" who know little about Ireland beyond a few ballads and sentimental slogans. Both their critics and their supporters among the Irish Americans themselves should study this book, which uses Devoy's long career as a basis for a complicated study of how factionalism, quarrels, and a somewhat clumsy mixture of idealism and pragmatism all combined to effect change back in Ireland. And it should also instruct those who still support the Irish struggle today--it shows the pettiness and begrudgery that has often plagued U.S. efforts at grassroots aid. Although at times in the later sections, I lost track of who was outwitting who in all of the internecine backstabbing among the various claimants of The Cause, this is not to discredit Golway's skill. He had an intricate story to narrate, and he keeps it fresh and even witty, without pandering to his readers. His own experience as a journalist, a career shared by Devoy, undoubtably enriches much of the ambiance behind this sometimes reticent figure, too. I often wonder how a biographer, faced with a subject who's written his or her autobiography already, can calculate a new angle from which to view the person. Golway manages to integrate Devoy's own words sparingly, and by filling in much of the context which Devoy would have kept mum about (or not known of), the author presents a surprisingly relevant case study of the dangers and the seductions of trying to achieve an ideal in a messy world of spies, politicians, revolutionaries, businessmen, and everyday folks. In a time when many Irish and non-Irish alike are taking a renewed and justified pride in this island's heritage, this book introduces you to the American contribution to the Irish situation. (I also was impressed by the author's taking the time to comment on his work in response to a superficial criticism posted; his graceful manner of answering his hasty critic shows real class.)