Michael Collins: The Man Who Won the War

by T. Ryle Dwyer and Ryle T Dwyer

Book Overview

An in-depth look at Michael Collins, the man behind the myth. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0853429316
• ISBN13: 9780853429319
• Release Date: December 1994
• Publisher: Mercier Press
• Length: 160 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.1" x 7.8"

Customer Reviews

A good first read on The Troubles

While not as comprhensive as Tim Pat Coogan's work on Michael Collins, this book provides a good first read on the man for those with an interest. It reads well and fast.

Definitive Account

Dwyer's account of Collins is the best yet published, far better than Coogan's clunking, top heavy narrative. Paints Collins as he was: human, capable of great deeds and great failings. Superb.

Focused Look at Collins' Political Career

Dwyer tackles his Collins biography by focusing on Michael's roles as a military man and a politico. As a matter of fact, Dwyer's opening chapter addresses the speech from which his subtitle was taken: Arthur Griffith's proclamation in the Irish Dáil that Collins was "the man who won the war." From there, Dwyer explores Collins' part in the Easter Rising, his productive time in jail, and his reintroduction to the republican movement in Dublin. The core of the book is dedicated to how Collins dismantled the system of British counter-intelligence in Ireland and the subsequent retalliation, Bloody Sunday. The last thirty pages examine Collins' duty in negotiating and then defending the Anglo-Irish Treaty. Collins' assassination and the aftermath of his death are not discussed. In the epilogue, Dwyer takes a moment to reassess Collins' awe-inspiring contributions to Irish independence and the sad conflict that developed between he and de Valera. Throughout the work, it is easy to see that Dwyer is obviously an admirer of Collins and pulls no punches as he evaluates de Valera, his followers, and the anti-Treatyites. He is not afraid to inject his own opinion into the text and such commentary is part of what causes Dwyer's biography to stand out from the rest of the pack. All things considered, this book is well worth your time, especially if you already have a basic knowledge about Collins' life and would like to know more. Because this book really contains no information on Collins' younger years, his early work in London, or the months prior to his death, I would not recommend it as a good Collins biography to read first. Make Dwyer's work second or third on your list.

An Intimate Portrait of a Complex Man

T. Ryle Dwyer (who also wrote "Big Fellow, Long Fellow")has written a study of Michael Collins that revolves primarily around his leadership of the war of independence against England and his interaction with his compatriots and competitors in that war. Dwyer takes praticular interest in the rivalries and tensions among the leading characters in the conflict, especially those between Collins and De Valera and Cathal Brugh. Collins is presented as a complex and charismatic man whose objective was independence for his country, not personal power, and who could charm and cajole, or terrorize and assassinate with equal effectiveness in pursuit of that goal. It is a fascinating, intimate portrait of a man whose peersonality was central to the success of the independence fight, after 800 years of unsuccessful rebellions, and who, while he may not have single-handedly "won the war", was the one single factor without which the war would most likely NOT have been won. A fascinating read about a fascinating leader.