Synopsis: One sunlit evening, May 6, 1882, Lord Frederick Cavendish and Thomas Burke, Chief Secretary and Undersecretary for Ireland, were ambushed and stabbed to death while strolling through Phoenix Park in Dublin. The murders were funded by American supporters of Irish independence and carried out by the Invincibles, a militant faction of republicans armed with specially made surgeon's blades. They put an end to the new spirit of goodwill that had been burgeoning between British Prime Minister William Gladstone and Ireland's leader Charles Stewart Parnell as the men forged a secret pact to achieve peace and independence in Ireland--with the newly appointed Cavendish, Gladstone's protege, to play an instrumental role in helping to do so.
In a story that spans Donegal, Dublin, London, Paris, New York, Cannes, and Cape Town, Julie Kavanagh thrillingly traces the crucial events that came before and after the murders. From the adulterous affair that caused Parnell's downfall; to Queen Victoria's prurient obsession with the assassinations; to the investigation spearheaded by Superintendent John Mallon, also known as the "Irish Sherlock Holmes," culminating in the eventual betrayal and clandestine escape of leading Invincible James Carey and his murder on the high seas, The Irish Assassins brings us intimately into this fascinating story that shaped Irish politics and engulfed an Empire.
"Monto (Take Her Up To Monto)"
When Carey told on Skin-the-goat,
O'Donnell caught him on the boat
He wished he'd never been afloat, the filthy skite.
Twasn't very sensible
To tell on the Invincibles
They stood up for their principles,
day and night by going up to Monto Monto......"
(Irish folk song)
Irish politics is like one of those multi-games of chess you see in a New York park scene - the master playing against multiple opponents. It is neither straight forward or insular - there are too many players, too many agendas, too many external forces and influences, and most of the time, the Irish themselves factor little into the private agendas of the dominant personalities.
I am very au fait with both Irish history and politics - and had in the course of my reading, come across the Phoenix Park assassination of Cavendish by the Invincibles so was looking forward to an new analysis of events. Unfortunately, I was sadly disappointed - and considered this a labourious and unrewarding reading experience.
This book attempts to cover off a lot of history leading up to the assassination. Kavanagh introduces many characters - some I personally consider not necessarily pertinent; and the side trip to Gweedore to "provide context" was, to be perfectly blunt, a waste of paper.
I believe that in order to construct a story around a single event, the author has cast a wide focus - too wide in my opinion; the narrative needed to be more linear. As such, I feel this failed to provide enough focus on the actual assassination, perpetrators and consequences early enough - it took just too long to get to the point. It was convoluted, lacking in structure and direction - there was too much attention centred on individuals and events that had no relevance. I mean, the author's note says the tome was styled like " .... the shifting episodic structure of today's television dramas ..." - if this was an attempt to make the subject more palatable for the general reading public, then it missed the mark completely. Sounds like the author is trivialising her subject matter.
Furthermore, the author's note as to the intent behind writing this book should have been placed at the front of the book rather than stuck at the back - it may have provided a slightly clearer idea of what the author was trying to achieve rather than leaving the reader slightly bewildered. The reader who picks this up is looking for more than a dry history lesson - they already have enough background knowledge - they are looking for a more narrow focus on a particular event. Any reader attempting this tome should come well prepared and have read some cursory editions of Irish history and politics beforehand, for without this, defeat will come faster than a politicians promise on election day.
Had some editor attacked this with the proverbial red pen (or hatchet) and suggested a much more abridged - or even structured - version, this may have made for a more enjoyable (if that's appropriate) read. As mentioned there were just too many side issues which distracted and detracted from a more linear narrative - they were unnecessary and not overly relevant, and certainly should have been left on the cutting room floor. Trying to literally stuff all the research into the single tome shows a distinct lack of understanding of the topic at hand and an inability to prioritise information- as the adage goes - sometimes less is more. The topics just needed to be compartmentalised a little more effectively and efficiently. Having said that, neither of Kavanagh's predecessors - Tom Corfe and Senan Molony - managed to provide a decent narrative on the subject.
Reading this as a kindle version made it much easier to put aside - with a physical copy, I would have just skipped through to the pertinent narrative and have had done with this in less than a day.
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