Dimensions
138 x 214 x 24mm
The Untold Story of the Cromwellian Invasion of Ireland
This long overdue evaluation of Cromwell's campaign in Ireland, first published in 1999 on the 350th anniversary of that campaign challenges all conventional interpretations.
Thousands of defenceless men, women and children are alleged to have lost their lives as a result of the "scorched earth" policy of Oliver Cromwell, who has long been the most reviled figure in Irish history, regarded as a genocidal maniac and a religious fanatic. Yet, argues Reilly, the traditional viewpoint lacks any solid evidence. Going back to the contemporary sources, he examines eye witness accounts; he also places Cromwell's conduct within the rules of war at the time. With an impressive mastery of detail, he marshals the facts, and concludes that Cromwell was the first successful military conqueror of Ireland, and that his emphatic success was a foregone conclusion, so inadequate were the Royalist forces in Ireland. In his conduct of the campaign he proved to be more compassionate than some of his contemporaries, and he adhered scrupulously to the letter of the law of contemporary warfare while communicating with the governors of the various garrisons throughout Ireland.
