{"product_id":"rory-oconnor-to-defend-the-republic-paperback","title":"Rory O'Connor: To Defend the Republic - Paperback","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eGerard Shannon\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOn 8 December 1922, Rory O' Connor was executed alongside three comrades in Mountjoy Jail. It was a moment that shocked Ireland, a bitter turning point in the Civil War, and one of the most infamous reprisals in modern Irish history. An unlikely revolutionary, O' Connor worked as an engineer on the Canadian railroad before returning to Ireland in 1915 and throwing himself into republicanism. He fought in Easter Week 1916, helped rebuild the shattered movement, and rose to become the IRA's Director of Engineering, working closely with Collins and Mulcahy. Devoted and uncompromising, he spearheaded IRA operations in Britain and plotted audacious prison escapes, including his own. O' Connor became the face of resistance to the Anglo-Irish Treaty, diverging forever from his onetime friend Kevin O' Higgins, who sat in the cabinet that would ultimately sanction his execution. In this first biography, historian Gerard Shannon draws on rich archival sources to capture the enigma of O' Connor's life, the tangled friendships and betrayals of Ireland's revolutionary period, and the captivating story of a man whose death propelled him into the pantheon of Irish republican martyrs.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eGerard Shannon is a public historian who specialises in the Irish revolutionary period of the early 20th century. He has written numerous articles and done public talks primarily on leading revolutionaries. His first major publication, Liam Lynch: To Declare a Republic, was released to critical acclaim in 2023 and made the non-fiction bestseller lists. Gerard also works as a civil servant and is a resident of Skerries in north county Dublin.\u003c\/p\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 288\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.95 x 9.14 x 5.92 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e April 09, 2026\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48330060988665,"sku":"9781785375842","price":32.38,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0789\/2782\/3097\/files\/IyDKjCbjjK9781785375842.webp?v=1777366861","url":"https:\/\/bookscloud.io\/products\/rory-oconnor-to-defend-the-republic-paperback","provider":"BooksCloud Book Dropshipping","version":"1.0","type":"link"}