Field of Fire The Battle of Ashbourne, 1916

by O'Brien, Paul

• ISBN13: 9781848401563
• ISBN10: 1848401566
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2012-09-10
• Publisher: New Island

Summary

On Friday, April 28, 1916, the 5th (Fingal) Battalion of the Irish Volunteers, under Commandant Thomas Ashe and Lieutenant Richard Mulcahy, fought a battle against the Royal Irish Constabulary at Ashbourne in County Meath. This rural battle erupted amongst the hedgerows and bothairins of Ashbourne, where men found themselves in a savage conflict in which only mobility and quick thinking could result in survival and ultimate victory. As the second installment of the series 1916 in Focus, Field of Fire investigates this significant engagement and explores the myths that have grown up around it. A complex and bloody affair, the Battle of Ashbourne was an integral part of the Rising and would also serve as a template for the tactics and strategies employed by Republican forces during the Irish War of Independence, which was to follow. (Series: 1916 in Focus)

Author Biography

Paul O' Brien is a military historian who has studied Irish and British military activity during the Easter Rising 1916. He has written a number of works on the 1916 Rising focusing on the military aspects of Easter week. This original work has brought new life to the military history of the 1916 Rising. A keen collector of model soldiers, he lives in Dublin.