The assassination of a British MP

Great Hatred by Ronan McCreevy is the story of the assassination of a British MP in 1922 by two members of the IRA. Sir Henry Wilson was a veteran of WW1 and a distinguished war leader but he was also a Protestant who had lands in Ireland and defined himself as Irish and a man who was pushing for Britain to retain control of all of the island of Ireland. Sir Henry saw the recent treaty that the British government had signed with Sinn Fein as a betrayal. His assassins were also veterans of the recent war (one had lost a leg in it) and identified as Irish Catholic despite having been brought up in Britain. They were prepared to die for the unification and independence of Ireland.

I knew nothing about this assassination and my understanding of the events around Irish independence at the beginning of the twentieth century is hazy but I found that the author included enough background to ensure that I understood what events drove the assassination and why Sir Henry was the target. The author also covers the period after the assassination and how it affected future events.

Although the assassination is at the heart of this narrative the author has included a lot of the history, both social and political, of the time to put events into context. He traces the lives of the assassins and their victim to show the divisions between these people who identified themselves as belonging to the same country – divisions that still determine much of Irish and British politics.

I found this book fascinating. I listened to it on audio and it was well read by Aidan Kelly. Having read this book I now need to read more about this period and the events and people that defined it.