The Dirty War

by Martin Dillon

Book Overview

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'This excellent book demands the attention of anyone concerned about civil liberties in the United Kingdom' Guardian

1969 was a year of rising tension, violence and change for the people of Northern Ireland. Rioting in Derry's Bogside led to the deployment of British troops and a shortlived, uneasy truce. The British army soon found itself engaged in an undercover war against the Provisional IRA, which was to...

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0099845202
• ISBN13: 9780099845201
• Release Date: January 1991
• Publisher: Arrow
• Length: 544 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 4.3" x 7.0"

Customer Reviews

A Five Star Account of The Troubles.

"The Dirty War" is the best overall account of The Troubles I have read. Martin Dillon has gained access to confidential sources on all sides - the IRA, the Irish Republic, the Loyalist Paramilitaries, and the British security forces - which make his account of the guerrilla war in Northern Ireland unique and informative. Dillon has successfully uncovered many of the covert, unconventional tactics used by all parties in the conflict, which some of the warring factions probably only found out about when they read this book. "The Dirty War" is a really a case study of modern unconventional warfare and how both state and non-government actors fit into this ugly equation. From Britain's secret, botched attempts to assassinate suspected IRA members and the manipulation and execution of informants, to the IRA's own murder campaign, Dillon unlocks the mysteries of terror and those who commit it. A gripping, gritty account, with all the unpleasant details, of a fascinating conflict which still simmers to this day.

Conflict in Ulster

Very good book detailing the three way secret war and the tactics used by the British military and law enforcement, the Ulster Paramilitaries and the IRA. It details the beginning of the modern Irish conflict in the late 1960's, it goes through the social conditions that started it off and it keeps going into the chaos that kept it going for years. This Veteran Irish Investigative Reporter doesn't pull and punches and spells out the abuses of power and atrocites on all three sides in great detail, so it isn't like he picks favorites in this. All three sides are equally guilty of murdering innocent people at some point during the conflict and then trying to cover it up. Interesting read if you want to know what's going on behind the headlines regarding the conflict in Northern Ireland and what drives the Ulster Paramilitaries, the IRA, the British Army and the Northern Irish Police.

Best book I have read on Northern Ireland

There are many reasons to buy and admire Martin Dillon's 'The Dirty War,' which is nothing less than a monumental achievement in investigative journalism. Dillon peels the lid off a very large can of worms--two decades of undercover conflict between the IRA (Official and Provisional), British Army, RUC, Loyalists and assorted other players in Northern Ireland from 1969 to 1990. The author's painstaking research (including many first-hand interviews with participants) and scrupulous objectivity should make this book required reading in newsrooms and journalism schools everywhere. But it's not some dry exercise. A lot of 'The Dirty War' rivals the best non-fiction crime and detective writing. Dillon knows how to tell a story. He also has a knack of involving the reader in his exhaustive analysis of individual incidents and themes. When answers aren't evident, his not afraid to admit it; rather, he asks questions and draws us in. This book is an absolute must for anyone interested in the modern British Army and its counterterrorist tactics. But it's not an anti-British book and it's not an anti-IRA book. It IS continually fascinating and, refreshingly, has a strong moral compass in the author's value set to help the reader through the unpleasantness.

An Excellent Account of an Undercover War

Having just read 'The Dirty War', I realised the charachter of the conflict in Ireland which was fought away from the headlines. Martin Dillon presents an account which is now proving correct. He objectively reveals the practice of secret burials, a story in the headlines currently, with families demanding the whereabouts of the bodies of the "disappeared". Dillon also -- without predjudice -- shows how all the combatants fought this dirty war. In particular, it is interesting that his revelations are part of the on-going discussions in the British media, especially pertaining to the role of the British intelligence agencies. Consequently, I was astounded by the review written here by Phil306@aol.com. Apart from the fact that he confused two of Dillon's books - The Dirty War and The Shankill Butchers -- it appears that he did not have a sufficeint grasp of the material. In response then why should we believe Phil306 about Sgt. Oram and not Mr. Dillon, who does not hide behind an e-mail address? Significantly, the author's revelations in both books are such that when he does not name people for legal reasons, those reasons are obvious to the intelligent reader. In his comments, Phil306 offers us a seminal awareness of a national trait which is something that Dillon clearly rejects in his balanced portrayal of all the players in both books. If phil 306 had fully digested the material in The Shankill Butchers, he would have understood that Messers. A and B were never charged with their crimes. In that context, the law in the United Kingdom would not have permitted their names to be published. Did Phil306 recognise the obvious risks to the authors' life in even giving us the insights in the facts that A & B existed? Since Phil306 appears to be the oracle in these matters, let him name A & B publicly in the British Isles, and explain his 'closeness' to Sgt. Oram. The Dirty War is an excellent book on the undercover war, and The Shankill Butchers is a stunning account of mass murder. If Phil 306 had properly read the Post Sript to the Shankill Butchers, even he could have made reasonable deductions about the identities of A and B. Perhaps, he should re-read both books and next time, avoid confusing the facts when writing a review. I am an Englishman living in the United States, and Mr. Dillon enabled me to grasp the complexities of a conflict which found its way onto my shores. I applaud Mr. Dillon for his investigative skills and his unbiased approach in his writings.

No Hands Are Clean in The Dirty War

While it may seem strange for a book to leave one feeling both depressed and exhilarated, experiencing such paradoxical emotions is the norm with one of Martin Dillon's books. I have read three of his nonfiction works in the past year, most recently The Dirty War, and have come to the conclusion that I am not likely to find another writer/journalist who can get so close to the players in Northern Ireland's Troubles, elicit as much information from them, provide more complete complementary information from a vast array of written source material, and make it all coherent to the average reader. I had only sketchy knowledge of the Troubles before I started reading Dillon's works--I now find myself following his detailed accounts of events and trains of thought as though I had known them all my life. How exhilarating to be in commune with an author of such abilities!And how depressing! It makes one weep to see the depths to which individuals and governments can sink to push their agendas, which range from the pursuit of profit to revenge to the perpetuation of a cynically unfair set of policies over a population. The last motive applies equally to illegal British interference in the internal affairs of Northern Ireland and to IRA paramilitaries who condemn the British justice system while pursuing their own perverse notion of justice that usually ends in the addition of another name to the "Disappeared" list. In the end, the Irish people are the pawns in a chess game without clear motive or end.Maybe peace will come to Ireland some day. In The Dirty War and his other books, Martin Dillon reveals how high the odds are stacked against it--yet how to hope and work for it still.