Description

The Men Will Talk to Me: Mayo Interviews is an invaluable collection of oral histories recorded by Irish republican and historian Ernie O’Malley. During the late 1940s and early 1950s, O’Malley travelled throughout Ireland interviewing former Volunteers who had participated in the struggle for Irish independence. This volume focuses on County Mayo and neighbouring parts of Roscommon and Sligo, preserving firsthand testimonies from participants in the revolutionary period.

Many of those interviewed had never spoken publicly about their experiences, even to members of their own families. Because of O’Malley’s reputation and shared experiences during the revolutionary years, they entrusted him with vivid accounts of ambushes, military operations, imprisonment, political divisions, and everyday life during the War of Independence and the Civil War. The interviews include detailed recollections of significant events in places such as Kilmeena, Tourmakeady, and Carrowkennedy, offering readers an authentic insight into Mayo’s revolutionary history.

Carefully edited with explanatory notes, chronology, biographies, and references, this volume is an essential primary source for historians, genealogists, students, and anyone interested in Ireland’s revolutionary generation. Rich in personal detail and historical significance, it captures voices that might otherwise have disappeared forever.