1916 Portraits and Lives
Book Details
Published by Royal Irish Academy
October 2015
HardbackNumber of pages: 368
ISBN: 9781908996381
Awards
IDI Design Awards: Winner - Use of Illustration in Design (David Rooney) - Ireland, 2015 - Winner
IDI Design Awards: Highly Commended - Printed Book Design (Fidelma Slattery) - Ireland, 2015 - Commended
Bord Gais Energy Irish Book Awards: Shortlisted - Ireland, 2015 - Short-listed
INDIEFAB Book of the Year Award - History - USA, 2016 - Finalist
This book is a selection of 40 articles from the Royal Irish Academy’s Dictionary of Irish Biography, dealing with 42 men and women whose careers, in one way or another, were deeply involved with the Easter rising of 1916.
The biographies selected compose an inclusively broad picture of the rising, representing the spectrum of personalities and perspectives that were involved in the event. They include not only the insurgents (and some others) killed during the rising but also some of the women who were involved as soldiers or in supporting capacities; three nationalist leaders who opposed the rising; some of the senior figures in the British administration in Ireland in 1916; members of the British army that suppressed the rising; and two historians who made considerable contributions to the scholarly debate on 1916.
This selection aims to give a balanced view of the rising. In addition to the biographies, there is an extended introduction by Patrick Maume, the Dictionary of Irish Biography project, and each biography is illustrated with an original drawing by artist David Rooney.
Limited edition David Rooney prints of the portraits from the book are available to order: Colour Edition. Original Black & White Edition.
This book is also available on JSTOR. For more information, institutions can visit Books at JSTOR or contact participation@jstor.org.
You can buy the e-book here.
Solve our book cover jigsaw puzzle here.
Reviews:
'A timely release in commemoration of the centennial of the 1916 Easter rising, this impressive volume will appeal to historians and general readers alike. [...] Fully indexed and exhaustive in biographical detail, this book is highly recommended to all readers, and a core addition to Irish studies collections'. M. Knight, University of South Florida, Choice. Full review here.
'This is a book to savour, both because of its diverse cast of characters and the quality of the contributors who provide entries that are erudite, often spiky, fresh, nuanced and skilfully composed'. Diarmaid Ferriter, Irish Arts Review. Full review here.