Books on 1916 Easter Rising filling the shelves

As we approach the new year and the centennial of the 1916 Easter Rising, it’s no surprise that new books about the event are flying off of publishers’ presses, and old books are getting a fresh look. Three recent reviews cover 21 new titles, with only one overlap: Joe Duffy’s Children of the Rising. Two of the reviews also reference previously published titles.

“Books about the Easter Rising fall into three categories: those by people associated with the Rising, those who wrote from personal experience of what happened and historical appraisals,” Peter Costello writes in his overview for The Irish Catholic. It’s a good look at the history of 1916 books and covers seven new publications.

John Spain and Maurice Hayes round up 14 new titles in their review for The Irish Independent. Among them, books from “history heavyweights” Tim Pat Coogan, 1916-The Morning After; Diarmaid Ferriter, A Nation Not a Rabble; and Ronan Fanning, Éamon de Valera: A Will To Power,

Finally, Spiked.com explores the spirit of the Easter Rising with an in-depth review of Who’s Afraid of the Easter Rising? 1916-2016, by James Heartfield and Kevin Rooney.

BONUS: Here’s an RTÉ Radio One “History Show” broadcast on 1916 books with a focus on works dealing with specific places and battles; first-hand accounts and stories about individuals; as well as the human legacy of Easter Week. Broadcast time: 50 minutes.

There’s sure to be more books about 1916 in 2016. We’ll be sure to keep you posted.