South armagh was described as bandit country by merlyn rees when he was northern ireland secretary and for nearly three decades it has been the most dangerous posting in the world for a british soldier. While i was aware of the conflict at the time, this book presented a much richer tapestry than i was expecting. South armagh was described as bandit country by merlyn rees when he was northern ireland secretary, and for nearly three decades it has been the most. He mentions him throughout the book and there is even a photo of him with eyes blacked out. Toby harndens book, bandit country, is an incredible glance at the unbeaten, undefeated south armagh. The south armagh brigade of the provisional irish republican army ira operated during the troubles in south county armagh. County armagh is presently one of four counties of northern ireland to have a majority of the population from a catholic background, according to the 2011 census. By the 1990s, the south armagh brigade was thought to consist of about. Theres a massive bomb beside south quay station, marsh.
Mar 15, 2016 it was also one of the most dangerous and unforgiving places on earth for british soldiers and other security force personnel during the 30 year conflict and the south armagh ira seemed able to slaughtered at will and the areas nickname bandit country was written in the blood of the innocent. But in his superbly researched book, bandit country. South armagh was described as bandit country by merlyn rees when h. The author has interviewed members of the army, mi5, ruc and ira to form a picture of the delicate balance of tensions in the area. Ending with an interview with then prime minister harold wilson. The people of south armagh are neither bandits nor gangsters and it is not a lawless peace. Mar 11, 2001 the claims were based on hughes being identified in bandit country. In armagh city we used a civilian firm, however they had a cosmetic mortician on their books. South armagh was described as bandit country by merlyn rees when he was northern ireland secretary and for nearly three decades it has been.
Toby harnden has stripped away the myth and propaganda of both sides to produce one of the most compelling and important books of the troubles. If you are to read only one book about the modern ira, this should be it irish times south armagh was described as bandit country by merlyn rees when he was northern ireland secretary and for nearly three decades it has been the most dangerous posting in the world for a british soldier. A 1976 david dimbleby bbc panorama report looking at british army operations in the south of county armagh. Fascinating work on south armagh and its role in the troubles. Read download air war northern ireland pdf pdf download. It was also one of the most dangerous and unforgiving places on earth for british soldiers and other security force personnel during the 30 year conflict and the south armagh ira seemed able to slaughtered at will and the areas nickname bandit country was written in the blood of the innocent. To the army, south armagh is bandit country, 200 square miles of the most hostile terrain in northern ireland which has claimed the lives of 115 soldiers since 1969. Drawing on secret documents and interviews in south armagh s recent history, he tells the inside story of how the ira came close to bringing the british state to its knees. The areas of south armagh and fermanagh which, during the period known as the troubles, were in all reality ungovernable by the british government due to its proximity to the border with the republic of ireland and the general population of the area, most of whom were sympathetic to the provisional ira. The ira and south armagh, is very pro british in outlook. Moving away from the bandit country myth writing the. For the first time, the identities of men behind the docklands and manchester bombings of and the reasons why captain robert nairac met his death are revealed. For nearly three decades, south armagh has been the most dangerous posting in the world for a. South armagh was described as bandit country by merlyn rees when he was northern ireland secretary, and for nearly three decades it has been the most dangerous posting in the world for a british.
Bandit country was a tag coined in november 1975 by the then british secretary of state for northern ireland merlyn rees to describe south armagh, and has been widely used ever since. Bandit country by toby harnden 1999, paperback for sale. Toby harnden has stripped away the myth and propaganda associated with south armagh to produce one of the most compelling and important books of the troubles. South armagh has a long irish republican tradition. As the helicopter banks over the heavilyfortified army base at crossmaglen in the heart of south armagh s bandit country, incoming troops are welcomed by a. He tries to make the case that, even prepartition, that the fewes area, which includes south armagh, was. Toby harnden has stripped away the myth and propaganda associated with south armagh to produce one of the most compelling and important. The welsh guards and the defining south armagh was described as bandit country by merlyn rees when he was toby harnden has stripped away the myth and.
The book, which was a bestseller following its publication in 1999, includes a photograph of a man called the surgeon. South armagh was first described as bandit country by merlyn rees when he was northern irelands secretary of state, and for nearly three decades it has been the most dangerous posting in the world for soldiers. South armagh was described as bandit country by merlyn rees when he was northern ireland secretary, and for nearly three decades it has been the most dangerous posting in the world for a british soldier. The ira and south armagh reprint by harnden, toby isbn. The british media therefore gave it the name bandit country the areas of south armagh and fermanagh which, during the period known as the troubles, were in all reality ungovernable by the british government due to its proximity to the border with the republic of ireland and the general population of the area, most of whom were sympathetic to. Toby harnden has stripped away the myth and propaganda associated with south armagh to produce one of the most compelling and.
Toby harnden has stripped away the myth and propaganda associated with south armagh to produce one of the most compelling and important books of the subject. If you are to read only one book about the modern ira, this should be it irish times. Men from the area also took part in ira campaigns in the 1940 and 1950s. Harnden actually makes you feel you are there in south armagh while you are reading his book.
In this book, the author aims to set the record straight. A 1976 bbc panorama report looking at british army operations in the south of county armagh. If you are to read only one book about the modern ira, this should be it. May 21, 2018 the bestknown work on south armagh is journalist toby harndens bandit country. I have always wondered who it could be and some on this forum may be able to cast a light on it. Oct, 2002 as the helicopter banks over the heavilyfortified army base at crossmaglen in the heart of south armagh s bandit country, incoming troops are welcomed by a 60ftlong greeting picked out in white. It was organised into two battalions, one around jonesborough and another around crossmaglen. Bandit country by harnden toby and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. He tries to make the case that, even prepartition, that the fewes area, which includes south armagh, was quite a bellicose proposition for the. The ira and south armagh by toby harnden 2000, paperback at the best online prices at.
The ira and south armagh, published in november 1999. To the army, south armagh is bandit country, 200 square miles of the most dangerous and hostile terrain in northern ireland which has claimed the lives of 115 soldiers since 1969. There was a storm of outrage and rejection from the ruc, the garda and irish politicians. Among the poetic and pugnacious people of south armagh 2. Toby harnden born 14 january 1966 is an angloamerican journalist and author. In this influential and widely read book, it is argued that the modern troubles in south armagh are viewed not as a series of isolated incidents since the 1970s but as part of a continuum with the past. Toby harnden my sunday times piece on bandit country. Many men in the area served in the fourth northern division of the irish republican army during the irish war of independence 191921 and, unlike most of the rest of the northern ireland ira, on the republican side in the irish civil war 192223. To republicans, it is gods country, the only area in the six counties where the occupiers have successfully been resisted. The ira and south armagh 0 out of 5 based on 0 ratings. Who was the undertaker in south armagh in toby hardens. It is also the most highly focused as its author, journalist toby harnden, zeroed in on nationalist paramilitary activities in south armagh, one of the.
The areas were infamous for sniper attacks, large bombings and cross boarder smuggling. This was also true for the helicopter crews of the raf, royal navy and. The claims were based on hughes being identified in bandit country. The book is a triumph and should be compulsory reading for anyone interested. The ira and south armagh new ed by harnden, toby isbn. Dec 08, 20 the story of how one or more garda officers had conspired with the ira to kill breen and buchanan was to be laid out in painstaking detail in my book bandit country. My job was to see to the funeral drill for which i had a permanently drilled squad, apart from that if a wake was to be arranged and the fellow was quite shot. In case anyone didnt know, bandit country is south armagh, a sobriquet bestowed on the area and its inhabitants by the jellyspined merlyn rees way back in 1974. In case anyone didnt know, bandit country is south armagh.
He is the ninth to have been killed by the socalled border fox, an ira sniper whose activities have helped make this area of the united kingdom the most feared killing ground in western europe. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Sep 14, 2019 the daily telegraphs irish correspondent toby harndens book, bandit country, introduces readers to a brief history of the ancient area known as the fewes, encompassing south armagh, the outlying areas of north louth and north monaghan. Aug 01, 2000 south armagh was described as bandit country by merlyn rees when he was northern ireland secretary, and for nearly three decades it has been the most dangerous posting in the world for a british soldier. The daily telegraphs irish correspondent toby harndens book, bandit country, introduces readers to a brief history of the ancient area known as the fewes, encompassing south armagh, the outlying areas of north louth and north monaghan. Famously dubbed bandit country by a uk government minister in 1975, south armagh was considered the most dangerous part of northern ireland for the british army and royal ulster constabulary during the years of violence known as the troubles that engulfed the province in the last three decades of the twentieth century. I struggled for a long time to think of a good alternative for this book, and despite toying with several options, i just couldnt come up with anything that. It also includes some excellent explanations of the military technologies being used at the time, which other books on the troubles dont tend to address directly.
Toby harnden has stripped away the myth and propaganda associated with south armagh to. The southern part of the county has been a stronghold of support for the ira, earning it the nickname bandit country though this regarded by some as unfactual. Harnden writes as if he is irish instead of an english reporter for the telegraph. Oct 25, 2016 hi, does anyone know who the undertaker actually was in toby hardens bandit country book. The book aims to evoke another south armagh, far from the stereotype of bandit country. South armagh is predominantly nationalist, with some of the population being opposed to any form of british presence, especially that of a military nature. He wrote a seminal nonfiction book in 1999the original bandit country on the conflict in northern ireland, and south armagh in particular, built around his.