A work of considerable scholarship this book has ploughed a new vein in this specific genre of Irish history by significantly challenging the accepted vision of the Cumann na nGaedheal regime and how they came to power and lost it and how Fianna Fáil then took those who had been militantly opposed to the previous regime into constitutional politics. Each event is presented as a specific counter-revolution with Michael Collins, Kevin O'Higgins and Eamon de Valera each leading their own.

The degree to which Collins was somewhat removed from his Provisional Government colleagues has been explored before but one of the most interesting aspects of the book is how O'Higgins appears to dominate the governments he was a member of and how isolated Cosgrave was down to a mere figure-head. Having expounded and supported this idea it is easy to understand how Eoin O'Duffy came to be the first leader of Fine Gael.

2/3s of the book deal with the Provisional Govt./Free State regime from 1922-32 but the last chapters dealing with Fianna Fáil's accession to power are equally worthy. The book is well referenced and provides a considerable reading list for readers who want to explore the topic further. ( )