This book tells the story of the lives and deaths of 162 Kerrymen who died for the ideal of an independent Irish republic of 32 counties. Many were killed in action but others were executed or died while in captivity as a result of brutality or neglect. In telling their stories Tim Horgan has provided an intriguing social history of the county and a snapshot of life in Ireland.
They range from the story of Thomas Ashe whose funeral was attended by over 100,000 people to that of seventeen year old Tom Moriarty who was buried secretly by his comrades. They include people like the First World War marksman, Con Healy, who though dying of tuberculosis went on to become a hero fighting for his own country and the contrasting stories of Patrick Lynch who was shot dead at his doorstep and of Tim O'Sullivan who was executed in faraway Donegal, though they were born in neighbouring parishes in South Kerry.
This book will certainly be a collectors item and will make a wonderful gift for anyone with Kerry connections.