The Gates Flew Open: An Irish Civil War Prison Diary

Peadar O'Donnell joined the IRA and led Guerilla activities in Donegal and Derry during the Irish War of Independence. He was arrested and became involved in organizing a hunger strike among the anti-treaty Republicans which lasted 41 days. This is a story of prison life in the midst of Civil War in Ireland that combines glimpses of humor with moments of tragic poignancy as he describes games of handball and bridge with men who faced the firing squad within twenty-four hours. O'Donnell was one of the last survivors of the Independence struggle in Ireland, retaining his radicalism and idealism right up to his death in 1986 at the age of 93. ""It is a unique document in the insights if affords us into this turbulent period in Irish history and politics.""--Alexander Gonzales.