"'The Irish Socialist Republican Party was way ahead of its time. It believed in justice for working people and knew that a different world was possible. David Lynch uncovers the history of Ireland's first left wing party and shows that history is not always about the victors - but also those who had the courage to organise and fight. This is an important book that contributes to our understanding of James Connolly and the cause of socialism in Ireland.' Dr Kieran Allen, Sociology Dept, UCD and author of The Politics of James Connolly"

The first full length study of the Irish Socialist Republican Party uses primary sources to delve into the internal politics and personalities that brought life to this important organisation. The party produced the first regular socialist paper in Ireland the Workers' Republic, ran candidates in local elections, represented Ireland at the Second International, agitated over issues such as the Boer War and the 1798 commemorations. Politically the ISRP was before its time, putting the call for an independent "Republic" at the centre of its propaganda before Sinn Fein or others had done so. The political significance of the organisation led by James Connolly is also viewed in both the international and national sphere. The legacy of the ISRP was to have an impact on the left-wing and republican movements in Ireland for many decades following it's demise in 1904.

The Irish Socialist Republican Party (ISRP) was a party of seminal importance in the history of radical politics in modern Ireland. The party was the forerunner and ideological springhead for a political tradition that has had a significant impact on radical Irish politics ever since. The ISRP was the first experiment with that powerful, dynamic, yet sometimes very confused cocktail of traditional republican politics and socialist principles. The party produced the first regular socialist paper in Ireland "The Workers' Republic", ran candidates in local elections, represented Ireland at the Second International, agitated over issues such as the Boer War and the 1798 commemorations.Politically, the ISRP was before its time, putting the call for an independent "Republic" at the centre of its propaganda before Sinn Fein or others had done so. This is the first full-length study of this important organisation. Using the primary sources available this study delves into the internal politics and personalities that brought life to the organisation. The political significance of the organisation led by James Connolly is also viewed in both the international and national sphere.

The legacy of the ISRP was to have an impact on the left wing and republican movements in Ireland for many decades following its demise in 1904.

David Lynch is a journalist who lives in Dublin. He has written for such publications as Magill, Leinster Leader and The Irish Times.

2006-12-10 Interesting and worth a look

I picked up this book, after reading a few very decent reviews of it. I think it is too short, and maybe written in too much of a journalistic style rather than a historic one, which makes it read like a political thriller rather than a academic book when it describes the demise of the ISRP, however they are minor problems. Overall the topic is very interesting, and those who are interested in the life of James Connolly should add this to their library.

I might not agree with all the conclusions, but I always prided myself of knowing all that there is toknow about Connolly, but this book brought me down political pathways in his life that I had never traveled.