Thirst For Freedom
Author: Eddie Bohan
ISBN: 978-1-908056-93-1
204pp + 4pp cover. 210 mm x 148 mm. Cover colour, Text black & white.
€12.50 + P&P
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Orders for this book are currently on hold as Mícheál’s family take time to deal with their loss. An update will be posted soon. Thank you for your patience and understanding.
About the book:
In her long struggle for independence, Ireland had one vital weapon that the British did not possess and, as the shots of her battle for Independence rang out, it proved to be one that the the rebel forces perfected with deadly consequences for the ‘ancient enemy’.
Eventually Ireland acquired almost 15,000 of these weapons. Some of them fell into Britain’s or her agents’ hands, some remained neutral, but the vast majority were in Irish Nationalist hands throughout this long struggle and, without them, Ireland would not be the free, independent, state she is today.
This initially unknown, unrecognised and unique weapon was the Public House, and its ammunition consisted of (a) the publican, (b) the building itself where the licensee traded and (c) the bar staff who maintained this weapon.
Indeed, it is no exaggeration to say that without the public house Ireland could well be still be part of the British Empire.
In this, the first book to identify the pivotal role of the Irish pub, and to give an overview of the role of alcohol in the war for Irish independence, author and historian Eddie Bohan traces the vital place of the Irish pub as a meeting place, a safe house and even banker for the Irish revolution.
This is a book to savour, one the reader will return to again and again, especially now as the public house is under siege once again by a foreign enemy.
About the author:
Dublin-born Eddie Bohan is best known for his life-long work in the licensed trade, but more recently he has been researching and contributing to the field of the history of Irish broadcasting.
He has lectured extensively on the history of 1930s Irish Radio, the history of Pirate Radio and the use of the airwaves during the 1916 Easter Rising.
In 2013 he produced and presented a six-part television series marking the 25th anniversary of the introduction of the 1988 Wireless Telegraphy Act called ‘Dublin’s Pirate Days’.
He currently runs the Irish Broadcasting Hall of Fame and is a regular contributor to the ‘Ireland’s Own’ magazine.
In 2011 he began the original 1916 Easter Rising Coach Tour, visiting all the major battle sites of the Rising, which continues today.
Eddie wrote 'Rebel Radio' for Kilmainham Tales and has self-published a comprehensive history of Irish Pirate Radio.
Eddie continues to study and research Irish history, Irish pubs and Irish radio, and we are sure there will be many more books to come!
