The IRA and Armed Struggle

The IRA is one of the longest-established terrorist organizations in the world and conducted a ferociously violent campaign for almost 30 years. Now deeply enmeshed in the Northern Ireland peace process, this new book asks how one of the bloodiest terrorist movements of our time decided to swap weapons for the ballot box? Killing for Irelandpresents an unparalleled investigation of the motives and opinions of Irish republican activists. Based on over seventy interviews conducted with former and existing members of the IRA, the author also provides a rigorous evaluation of the personal and political consequences of the IRA's campaign of violence. The analysis of these interviews radically challenges the dominant academic analysis of Irish terrorism. This book includes a strong criticism of the armed struggle constructed around the discourse of those who waged it and answers the question faced by many armed revolutionary movements: "Was the war worth it?" Translated from the criticallyacclaimedMatar por Irlandaand available in English for the first time, this volume provides a provocative and new approach to understanding the IRA. It is essential reading for readers and researchers with an interest Irish politics and history, terrorism and political violence.

Rogelio Alonso is Lecturer in Politics and Terrorism at Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Madrid