The Irish Tricolour
THIS important work offers the first fully referenced retelling of the Irish Tricolour’s true origins, uncovering a forgotten heroine, new inspirations and the story of the emblems it replaced. From the harp and shamrock to the tri-spiral, this account reinterprets Ireland’s most iconic symbols, placing them within the broader journey toward Irish nationhood and identity.
Along this road to a republic a story of rebels and revolution unfolds, charting the evolution of symbols that accompanied each rising. Long-standing myths and slurs surrounding the national flag, early Gaelic identity and Ireland’s storied emblems are challenged and corrected.
Key figures are restored to their rightful place, from Owen Roe O’Neill and Wolfe Tone to Thomas Meagher, Pádraig Pearse and Emilia Eleanor Hamilton, the first known person to craft an Irish Tricolour device who has been forgotten in the mists of time. By exploring crucial turning points, this work follows the rise of green as Ireland’s colour, the rebellions of 1642, 1798, 1848 and 1916, Catholic Emancipation and the flag’s later use and misuse.
A bold, insightful retelling of Ireland’s story through its symbols.
OUT NOW…
Spike Island – The residents, rebels and crafty criminals of Ireland’s historic island –
No other place better encapsulates the Irish story than Spike Island. The book tells of religious fervour, frequent rebellion, social endeavour, and a nation’s inextinguishable yearning for freedom. After 206 years off-limits to the public, its secrets can finally be divulged.
The island has garnered international attention many times, such as the famine-era prison overcrowding and inhumane conditions, the triumphant 1938 handover of the island from Britain to Ireland, and the violent prison riot in 1985.
Spike Island echoes with the voices of prisoners past, having housed fierce rebels like John Mitchel, who would inspire the 1916 generation, and 1200 Republicans during the War of Independence. More recent arrivals include the notorious crime boss The General, who terrorized 1980’s Ireland.
Told in an entertaining and accessible chronological style featuring accounts from island dwellers and the interned alike, this book is sure to captivate anyone interested in Irish history.
The book is the first to include interviews with former residents, soldiers, prisoners and prison officers, opening a new chapter in Cork and Ireland’s history.
See a review by experienced author and broadcaster John Kirkaldy here –
Famous inmates in the book…
COMING SOON…
Following his pioneering work on Spike Island the first ever referenced account of the Irish Tricolour, John Crotty is working on a publication that will rewrite the much misunderstood story of Ireland’s role in World War Two. Old myths and new slanders are exposed, falsehoods like Ireland aided or favoured Germany or that Irish neutrality was ‘strict’, rather than its heavy tilt towards the allies.
Follow John Crotty on Twitter to release info and news of new discoveries -@itsjohncrotty – Home / X