Eoin O'Duffy A Self-Made Hero

Eoin O'Duffy was one of the most controversial figures of modern Irish history. A leader of the Irish revolution, and protégé of Michael Collins, he commanded the Irish police and defense forces, before emerging as Ireland's leading fascist politician in the 1930s. A crusading moralist, obsessed with the need to counter public immorality, and a closet homosexual and alcoholic, O'Duffy's remarkable life was characterised by self-aggrandisement, fantasy, and contradiction.

Fearghal McGarry is currently Lecturer in Irish history at Queen's University, Belfast. Previously he was Lecturer in Irish History at Trinity College, Dublin, and Government of Ireland Post-Doctoral Fellow at the National University of Ireland, Maynooth.