O’FARRELL, Padraic. Who’s Who in the Irish War of Independence 1916-1921.

Dublin & Cork: Mercier Press, 1980. Large post octavo. pp. 186. Cream papered boards, titled in gilt. Previous owner’s neat stamp on front endpaper. A fine copy in dust jacket. Who’s Who in the Irish War of Independence 1916-1921 examines this generative period in Irish history. It deals with the personalities involved in both sides of the struggle and, in a compilation of over 1,000 pen pictures, lists not only the main activists but many other combatants who played supporting but equally important roles in the conflict. The author’s researches covered both public and private sources and he has had access to previously unavailable material. His examinations have included archives, records and journals of the Royal Irish Constabulary, Dublin Metropolitan Police, Royal Ulster Constabulary, Irish Defence Forces and the British Army. In the appendices he gives a chronology of the main events and lists the dead on both sides. The result is a comprehensive and objective survey of the Irish fight for independence.