The Republican: An Irish Civil War Story

With the prospect of Civil War looming, Jack Larkin, a veteran of the War of Independence, is torn by his idealistic search for the 'True Republic', the love of his sweetheart and the memory of his dead father.
 
Set in Dublin during the 1922-23 Civil War, The Republican examines the emotionally charged divisions that the Treaty with England created within the Republican movement and one man's desperate struggle to understand his decision to fight. 
 
The Republican is one man's journey though Ireland's darkest hour - a period which many would like to forget, but which is etched deep in the collective unconscious of the Irish Nation.

This novel, which is set during the Irish Civil War,examines the violent birth of the Irish Republic.It is an important book because it tells the story of the Irish Civil War in Dublin - a story that has not yet been told, either in novel or film format.

"This was a fascinating novel to write," says author TS O'Rourke, who spent a year doing research before starting to write the book. "What struck me was the absence of a story told from the point of view of the foot soldier. We are often presented with the leaders of revolutions, but seldom is the voice of the common man heard. My goal was to examine the war from a unique perspective using available information and to present the terrible choices that men had to make in those dark days."But what was O'Rourke's motivation for writing the novel?
"I was given a letter that had been passed down from my grandfather. The letter was written by a relative on the eve of his execution in March 1923. The emotion in that letter was overwhelming. He conveyed a pure love for Ireland, his family and even forgiveness for the men who would execute him the following morning. It was a thoughtful and eloquent letter that touched me deeply and led me on a voyage of discovery. I needed to understand what would drive a man like that to fight and die in such circumstances. I found that I knew little about the Civil War and the birth of the Irish nation and I felt ashamed by that," O'Rourke admitted.
"People may disagree with aspects of the novel, and that's ok. After so many years, the events of the Civil War still create bitterness in the older generation. History, they say, is written by the victor - in the case of the Irish Civil War there were no winners.
"I hope that reading this book will engender a desire to learn more about the founding of modern Ireland, and the men and women who made it what it is today. Less than one hundred years ago we were Britain's closest colony, a largely agricultural and extremely poor nation. Times have changed. We owe a great debt to the men and women who came before us and had the courage to follow their convictions."