British Voices: From the Irish War of Independence 1918-1921 by William Sheehan

For the most part, the Anglo-Irish war is one of the forgotten conflicts of the 20th Century. The death toll from the conflict – perhaps 3,500 killed – paled in comparison to the dreadful slaughter of the Great War which preceded it. British Voices though succeeds in reminding us that this messy insurrection is still worthy of our attention. Almost all previous accounts of the conflict have been written from the perspective of the insurgents. This book is an important counterbalance to such accounts. Sheehan does not argue an alternative history of the conflict, rather he simply opens an alternative perspective on the experience of the struggle. He has provided a tremendous service in doing so.