This week Joseph E.A. Connell on his new book 'The Terror War: The Uncomfortable Realities of the War of Independence'; plus Liz Evers and Niav Gallagher talk about about some of the people profiled in their book 'Irish Lives in America'.

The Terror War

British Field Marshal Henry Wilson said of the Black and Tans: "It was the business of the Government to govern. If these men ought to be murdered, then the Government ought to murder them". He was of course talking about members of the IRA being murdered.

Michael Collins could equally chillingly say: "Careful application of terrorism is also an excellent form of total communication".

We're going to explore now how the actions of the Irish mirrored one another in their intentions and their strategy. That's the subject of a new book from Wordwell called The Terror War: The Uncomfortable Realities of the War of Independence. The author, Joseph E.A. Connell joins Myles in studio.

Irish Lives in America

The Irish stuck out across America's frontiers, they built its railroads, policed the nation’s streets, set up its banks, educated its masses – we could of course go on and on about what the Irish did in America. We’re going to open up a new book now, which documents fifty Irish people who made an indelible mark on American society.

It’s called Irish Lives in America – it’s the latest in a series from the Royal Irish Academy, which collects together life stories from the Dictionary of Irish Biography.

Joining Myles to discuss some of the very interesting people profiled in the book are the editors, Liz Evers and Niav Gallagher.