"What is remarkable about Michael Hopkinson's Irish War of Independence is the way he shows how random and circumstantial the revolutionary strategy became. Volunteers in rural areas improvised military campaigns often sanctioned retrospectively by their leaders in Dublin." Maurice Walsh, New Statesman "An objective and well-researched account of the events that led to the establishment of our state." Garret FitzGerald, Irish Times "Masterly...[it] has filled a major gap historical writing by placing the final stages of the revolution of January 1919 to July 1921 in the wider context of the Ulster Crisis of 1912-14 and the First World War." John Cooney, Irish Independent.