The story of the fate of a single family during the Irish Revolution, Four Killings is a remarkable book written by a celebrated Irish broadcaster. It is a book about political murder, and the powerful hunger for land and the savagery it can unleash. Dungan's family was involved in four violent deaths between 1915 and 1922. One man, Jack Clinton, an immigrant small farmer from Co. Meath, was murdered in the remote and lawless Arizona territory by a powerful rancher's hired gun; three more died in Ireland, and each death is compellingly reconstructed in this extraordinary book. What unites them is the violence that engulfed Ireland during the campaign against the British, but also the theme of deep anger over the ownership of land. That often brutal struggle between landless labourers and smallholders and more prosperous farmers is a forgotten aspect of the war of independence. It was in many ways a continuation of the unfinished 19th-century Land War. Mark Clinton was murdered by a group of agrarian 'bandits' who resented his family's possession of some disputed land; his killer was tried and executed by the dead man's relatives and comrades in the Meath IRA. And another man, a mentally challenged youth, was shot as an informer by another relative of Dungan's and buried in secrecy and silence. Myles Dungan's book, focused on one family, offers an original take on this still controversial period: a prism through which the moral and personal costs of violence, and the elemental conflict over land, come alive in surprising ways. This is a highly readable narrative history, combining original scholarship and a strong grasp of the larger issues at stake.

Join historian Myles Dungan as he guides you through the history of our amazing island. Take an historical trip back in time to visit the ancient celts, sail away on a famine ship or join the 1916 rebels in the GPO. Discover leaders, thinkers and fighters and learn how our ancestors lived and worked in forts, castles and cottages. The latest book in the Gill Books series of important topics tackled by experts, this engaging history introduces Ireland's most significant people, history and culture to readers of all ages. With clear text and bright illustrations, this book is for anyone who wants to understand more about Ireland, its history and its people.

The story of a single family during the Irish Revolution, Four Killings is a book about political murder, and the powerful hunger for land and the savagery it can unleash. 'A vivid and chilling narrative... Confronts uncomfortable questions that still need answering' Roy Foster 'Marries acute storytelling skills with scholarship, fortified throughout by the author's wry sense of humour' Michael Heney 'Narrative history, told through a unique prism' Irish Sunday Independent 'Dungan knows his history; he also knows how to tell a story... A gem of a book' RTÉ Culture 'Sober and intelligent... Dungan does a fine job of showing that little people can make history too' Business Post Myles Dungan's family was involved in four violent deaths between 1915 and 1922. Jack Clinton, an immigrant small farmer from County Meath, was murdered in the remote and lawless Arizona territory by a powerful rancher's hired assassin; three more died in Ireland, and each death is compellingly reconstructed in this extraordinary book. What unites these deaths is the violence that engulfed Ireland during the war of independence, but also the passions unleashed by arguments over the ownership of the soil. In focusing on one family, Four Killings offers an original perspective on this still controversial period: a prism through which the moral and personal costs of violence, and the elemental conflict over land, come alive in surprising ways.

You won’t find Mary Robinson, Ernest Shackleton or Rory McIlroy in this volume -- they are among the unforgettables who have shaped Irish life. Instead, meet some fascinating, Irish people (and animals), who have advanced (or set back) the cause of everything from astronomy to zoology.    There’s the honourable but underappreciated Valentine Greatrakes, a 17th-century witchfinder and healer from Waterford. There’s also the bygone baddie Miler McGrath, possibly the worstbishop in the history of religion who appears to have been a Franciscan monk, a Catholic bishop AND a bishop of the Church of Ireland at more or less the same time. Then there’s Paddy the Pigeon, the WW2 veteran who brought the news of the Allied D-Day success to England.   Be inspired by their stories and maybe one day, you can be forgettable too!