| The Bombing of Dublin's North Strand, 1941: The Untold Story Contributor(s): Kearns, Kevin C. (Author) |
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ISBN: 0717146448 ISBN-13: 9780717146444 Publisher: Gill Books OUR PRICE: $32.40 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: May 2010 |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - History | Europe - Ireland - History | Historiography - History | Social History |
| Dewey: 941 |
| Physical Information: 408 pages |
| Themes: - Cultural Region - Ireland - Cultural Region - British Isles |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: On a gloriously starry night four bombs fell, the last and most devastating at precisely 2:05 a.m. on 31 May. There was a thunderous explosion and the earth quaked. Tremors were felt as far away as Enniskerry and Mullingar. Panic and pandemonium reigned in a "city seized with fear." Destruction was astonishing homes and shops in the North Strand were largely demolished, 2,250 buildings in the city suffered some bomb damage, over forty people were killed, about 100 seriously injured, many more wounded. Hospitals and morgues filled within hours. Almost 2,000 people were rendered homeless refugees. It would later be determined that in terms of destructive performance a monstrous "perfect bomb" had done the deed. For two-thirds of a century, no book was written on what the Evening Herald proclaimed a Night of Horror. Later called a "seismic event" in Dublin's history. Finally, near the end of the century both the Irish Military Archive and Dublin City Archive declassified their documents on the bombing some stamped "Secret" for sixty years. At last, the theories and myths long surrounding the mysterious incident could be examined in the light of real evidence. But the heart of a book on so human a tragedy is the oral historical testimony of survivors, rescuers and observers who provide graphic eye-witness accounts. This is the untold tale of a great historical event and human tragedy that has long needed telling. |
Contributor Bio(s): Kearns, Kevin C.: - Kevin C. Kearns, Ph.D., is a social historian and Professor Emeritus at the University of Northern Colorado. He has made over 40 research trips to Ireland, a number of which were funded by the National Geographic Society. Of his ten books on Dublin, five have been bestsellers, most notably Dublin Tenement Life: An Oral History which was number one on The Irish Times bestseller list for many weeks. He is the author of Dublin Voices: An Oral Folk History, Stoneybatter: Dublin's Inner Urban Village, Ireland's Arctic Siege: The Big Freeze of 1947 and The Bombing of Dublin's North Strand: The Untold Story. His latest book, Lugs Branigan: Ireland's Most Famed Garda, was published in September 2014. |