Sean MacBride: A Republican Life, 1904-1946

One of Ireland’s most abidingly controversial political figures, Seán MacBride (1904–88) was a youthful participant in the Irish Revolution and an active member of the Irish Republican Army, rising through the ranks to occupy a leadership position for fifteen years.

Seán MacBride is the first book to focus exclusively on MacBride’s republican activities, on which his controversial reputation in Irish and British political circles rests. With extensive use of recently released archival material, including Department of Justice records and Bureau of Military History witness statements, this book combines a biographical focus with wider assessments of the important themes, including the persistence of republican opposition to the state after the Civil War and Ireland’s ambiguous experience of World War II.