In this unrepentant and revealing memoir, (publishing March 2025), Dan Mulvihill, a leading figure in Irish republicanism recounts his fight for an Irish Republic over several decades and his central involvement in key events throughout the twentieth century.
Dan Mulvihill was at the heart of many of the most iconic and tumultuous events during Ireland’s revolutionary years. He was an IRA volunteer who fought and killed in the name of Ireland, a loyal ally of Éamon de Valera – who he smuggled out of Dublin at the beginning of the Civil War – a vehement opponent of the Anglo-Irish Treaty, a member of Liam Lynch’s staff in the anti-Treaty IRA, a prisoner and hunger striker, a spy and intelligence officer.
In One Man’s Ireland, Mulvihill details his life story from 1916 to the early 1980s, describing the seminal events in the history of the country as well as the many key figures in republicanism in his native Kerry and nationally. A self-styled maverick and committed revolutionary, Dan Mulvihill was a largely forgotten figure in Irish history, until now.
Contents
Prologue: Brackhill
Preface: ‘One Man’s Ireland’
1. ‘Great fighters and men of splendid physique’
2. ‘Calm before the storm’
3. ‘The good houses’
4. ‘Until he bled to death’
5. ‘Mad to get the chance’
6. ‘The Truce was on, and we could not believe it’
7. ‘Things are getting worse every day’
8. ‘The day the Split started’
9. ‘Lamb to the slaughter’
10. ‘We raided once a month’
11. ‘Bitterly anti-Irish and anti-Catholic’
12. ‘We are so fed up with charity’
Conclusion: ‘I am unchanged’
About the Author
Dr Owen O’Shea is the author of several books on history and politics in his native county of Kerry, including the highly-acclaimed No Middle Path: The Civil War in Kerry (Merrion Press, 2022), Ballymacandy: the Story of a Kerry Ambush (Merrion Press, 2021) and Heirs to the Kingdom: Kerry’s Political Dynasties (O’Brien Press, 2011). O’Shea currently works as Media, Communications and Customer Relations Officer with Kerry County Council. He holds a PhD from the School of History at UCD.
Available from March 2025: One Man’s Ireland: Memoirs of Dan Mulvihill, Maverick Republican – Irish Academic Press
