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Ballydehob author's 1916 book launched by Ballagh

December 5th, 2015 11:50 AM

By Jackie Keogh

Ballydehob author Michael Barry's book on 1916 tells the story of the Rising from its roots, the events of Easter week and the aftermath.

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Artist Robert Ballagh launched “Courage Boys, We are Winning, an Illustrated History of the 1916 Rising” by Ballydehob author Michael Barry recently.  

ARTIST Robert Ballagh launched “Courage Boys, We are Winning, an Illustrated History of the 1916 Rising” by Ballydehob author Michael Barry recently.

The book tells the story of the Rising from its roots, the events of Easter week and the aftermath.

Photographs, periodicals, and key documents are richly illustrated, along with striking photographs of present-day Dublin where key events of the Rising took place.

It was on April 24th 1916 that the Irish Volunteers and the Irish Citizen Army seized strategic parts of Dublin and proclaimed an Irish Republic. They held out for around a week under attack by the British military, which swamped the city with troops. 

The leaders of the Rising were rapidly court martialled, sentenced to death and executed. But the Rising was to lay the seeds for eventual Irish Independence, and is commemorated as the essential foundation stone of the Irish State.

The author and historian lived in West Cork until the age of 12 when his father passed away, and studied in Trinity College, Dublin. His career led him to work on transportation projects both in Ireland and abroad but his abiding interest in Ireland’s history and heritage led to him writing several books on the subject.

His books include “Homage to al-Andalus”, “Victorian Dublin Revealed” and, more recently, “The Green Divide, an Illustrated History of the Irish Civil War”. He is also an accomplished photographer and has contributed to numerous journals, as well as appearing on radio and television. 

In 1985, Michael produced a book on Irish bridges – which, of course, includes the 12-arch bridge in Ballydehob – and has to his credit a total of 10 books on a variety of subjects in print.

Michael’s grandfather, John Barry, had the agency for The White Star Line and in Ballydehob you will find a plaque to three girls who bought tickets for The Titanic and thankfully survived the disaster.

Michael’s new, 208-page book, contains more than 550 images, and is published by Andalus Press.

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