Author Tom Hurley's new book gives voice to Tipperary remembrance of the Civil War

The Irish Civil War ended in 1923. Eighty years on, author and documentary-maker Tom Hurley wondered if there were many civilians and combatants left from across Ireland who had experienced the years 1919 to 1923, their prelude and their aftermath. What memories had they, what were their stories and how did they reflect on those turbulent times?

In early 2003, he recorded the experiences of 18 people, conducting two further interviews abroad in 2004. Tom spoke to a cross-section (Catholic, Protestant, Unionist and Nationalist) who were in their teens or early twenties during the Civil War.

The chronological approach he has taken to his book spans 50 years, beginning with the oldest interviewee’s birth in 1899 and ending when the Free State became a republic in 1949.

Numerous stories and experiences pertaining to county Tipperary feature in the book.

Daniel O’Donovan for example talked to Tom about being imprisoned on Spike Island in 1921 during which time his commanding officer was Jerry Ryan of Moycarkey, Thurles.

Dan Keating related how he was arrested near Two-Mile-Borris during the Civil War and interned in Maryborough (Portlaoise) Gaol.

There are also details of the capture of his comrade Tom Malone in Nenagh.

Dubliner Jack Duff recalled his experiences of being stationed in Clonmel with the Free State Army during the civil war while William Geary spoke of being stationed in Newport and Templemore as the member of An Garda Síochána shortly after the end of the conflict.

Other interviewees relayed stories and experiences connected to county Tipperary also.

One hundred years after the Civil War ended, the 20 interviews recorded by Tom Hurley come together to create a unique oral account of the revolutionary period and the tensions that were brewing in the run-up and aftermath. Together, theirs are the Last Voices of the Irish Revolution.

Last Voices of the Irish Revolution by Tom Hurley is available in bookshops throughout the country and can also be ordered online via their websites. It is published by Gill Books.