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Book-launch and Talk: Tommy McKearney's, ”The Provisional IRA from Insurrection to Parliament” Tuesday August 23rd 7:30pm @solidaritybooks
Date: Tue, 2011-08-16 15:49
On August 23rd Solidarity Books on Douglas St., Cork will host a booklaunch for the new book by Tommy McKearney, ”The Provisional IRA from Insurrection to Parliament.” Tommy McKearney was a senior member of the Provisional IRA from the early 1970s until his arrest in 1977. Sentenced to life imprisonment, he served 16 years during which time he participated in the 1980 hunger strike in the Maze. He is now a freelance journalist and an organizer with the Independent Workers Union.
Start time is 7.30; be sure to get there early to ensure a seat.
A talk by the author will be followed by open discussion.
Copies of the book will be available on the night. All welcome, hope to see you there.
www.solidaritybooks.org
“Tommy McKearney has advanced a series of arguments that are presented in an unambiguous manner. There is a strong sense of conviction and explanation in what he has written. The book is a reminder, whether agreeing with the arguments presented or otherwise, of the need for debate concerning the past, the present and the future. The unambiguous tone in which McKearney writes offers space for ongoing and detailed debate given his concern and dedication to key theoretical questions.” –Pete Shirlow, School of Law, Queen’s University Belfast
This book analyzes the underlying reasons behind the formation of the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA), its development, where this current in Irish republicanism is at present and its prospects for the future. Tommy McKearney, a former IRA member who was part of the 1980 hunger strike, challenges the misconception that the Provisional IRA was only, or even wholly, about ending partition and uniting Ireland. He argues that while these objectives were always the core and headline demands of the organization, opposition to the old Northern Ireland state was a major dynamic for the IRA’s armed campaign. As he explores the makeup and strategy of the IRA he is not uncritical, examining alternative options available to the movement at different periods, arguing that its inability to develop a clear socialist program has limited its effectiveness and reach. This authoritative and engaging history provides a fascinating insight into the workings and dynamics of a modern resistance movement.