Irish History Book Review
We Bled Together: Michael Collins, The Squad and the Dublin Brigade
Hardback
€24.99
This thrilling account of the daring
espionage and killings carried out by both sides on Dublin’s streets during the
War of independence is vividly brought to life by Dominic Price using
eyewitness testimonies and war diaries. Price reveals their meticulous research
into guerrilla tactics employed by the Cubans in their War of Independence, the
2nd Boer War and General von Lettow-Vorbeck against the British in
east Africa. He shows Collins and the Dublin Brigade’s desperate methods;
improvised explosive devices, chemical weapons.
Their sacrifice and determination to bring to birth Irish freedom is well
recorded in this intimate and poignant book.
Extract:
‘The Squad never questioned Collins’
reasons for having someone killed. Mick Collins, as far as members of the squad
were concerned, ‘was the kind of man it was easy to trust’ … The risks and
danger experienced by his operatives affected Collins greatly and he could
visualise their suffering. Eamon Broy, who spent a lot of time with the
Director of Ira intelligence, related how Collins described events:
Collins had such a remarkable power of description that, listening to
him, one could form a
vivid mental picture of the occurrences he described. For instance, in his
account of the tortures of
Hales and Harte in West Cork,
the impression he created was a vivid as if one actually saw the
pliers being used to tear the
flesh from the victim. These tortures were inflicted by the British
Army long before the Black
and Tans came to the country. As a result of his treatment Harte went insane.’
