John M. Feehan (1916–1991)

Every year on August 22, I remember the death of Irish politician Michael Collins, usually by watching Niel Jordan's 1996 movie. This last Friday, though, I opted for a change of pace and decided to attempt to completely read a book about Collins in two days. I chose The Shooting of Michael Collins: Murder or Accident? by John M. Feehan.

In the early months of our marriage, my wife and I used to sometimes spend Sunday nights down at a Barnes & Noble in Salt Lake City. Often, I would grab this book off the shelf and spend my time trying to understand Collins' death. As it was a confusing and hectic event, I became comfused myself but also very interested. I later bought the book.

I started to read it this last Friday morning and finished it late Saturday night. I have to say that, overall, it is a good book- generally well-written and full of interesting information. Its shortcomings are that Feehan often repeats bits of informtion and that some of his logic is not clear. But its strength is that Feehan had access to sources very close to the event. He personally interviewed several people who were there on that fateful night in 1922, or who were politically active during that period. Feehan also analyzes, line by line, several printed accounts by eyewitnesses such as those by Maj. Emmet Dalton (who was riding the backseat of the touring car with Collins just before his death), and Smith, the motorcycle escort that night. These testimonies form the basis of the narrative, especially in the final two chapters and Feehan shows himself to be a true historian by using original documents to follow where the evidence takes him. These documents and his analyzation alone are worth the purchase and reading of the book. It would be helpful if the reader has a basic understanding of the Irish Civil War and the personalities involved before reading. There is very little background information other than what Feehan explains during his short biography of Collins in the first chapter.

In the end, I find some of Feehan's conclusions to be sensible and others weak but his work is an interesting read nonetheless. I recommend The Shooting of Michael Collins.

For more on Collins' death, see Meda Ryan's excellent book The Day Michael Collins Was Shot.… (meer)