Description

From the outbreak of World War II to the early 1962 cessation of the Border Campaign, the independent Irish state faced severe security threats that challenged its international neutrality and domestic authority. In IRA Internment and the Irish Government – Subversives and the State 1939-1962, renowned historian John Maguire constructs a brilliant, unvarnished look at the state’s ultimate weapon of defense: internment without trial.

The narrative tracks the political and legal battles inside the Dublin cabinet as it deployed the Emergency Powers Act to detain hundreds of republican activists in the Curragh Camp. Maguire examines the daily management of the internment huts, escape attempts, and the internal friction among detainees, while objectively evaluating the massive impact this policy had on breaking militant campaigns. Written with sharp pacing and direct clarity, this volume stands as an absolute necessity for military history collectors, legal scholars, and serious students of modern statehood.

Core historical insights within this study:

• Cabinet Policy Debates: Meticulously details the correspondence and strategic decisions exchanged between de Valera’s government, military intelligence (G2), and the courts.

• Curragh Camp Operations: Features detailed breakdowns of life inside the wire, including educational classes run by prisoners, hunger strikes, and structural security setups.

• Elite Scholarly Standard: Extensively annotated with primary source citations from newly declassified Department of Justice files and personal prisoner diaries.