Bandit Country: The IRA and South Armagh 
Customer Ratings: - Bandit Country. This book is a must for anyone interested in the South Armagh PIRA,every major incident is recorded here-from Robert Nairacs grizzly end through to the infamous sniper attacks,South Armagh PIRA were so respected that they were chosen to construct and transport the bombs that devastated England in the nineties,you get the feeling that Thomas Slab Murphys farm complex is the HQ of the South Armagh brigade.
- Incredible and Accurate. Anyone interested in the Irish conflict simply must read this book. From start to finish the book accuarately details the plans, movements and attacks carried out by the most infamous IRA column in modern history, The South Armagh Brigade. The book looks at all the details, from them ysterious abduction of british army agent Cpt. Robert Nairac to the Warrenpoint massacre. Interestingly the book does not attempt to condone the actions or indeed promote them, and by doing this it captures the fear that was rife during the troubles. It also shows how one strong community in the north has never succomb to British rule. This book is a must have for any irish history fanatic, and indeed anyone interested in learning the truth and not the mythology about the troubles.
- ?. I do not read many books so tend to stick to historic or autobiographical books.
I found this book to be the best book I have ever read. It gave me a very good insight to the troubles in the north. Toby done a very good job on the book.
I could not put it down for 5 min. Its the only book that traveled with me.
- I hate terrorism even more after it. GREAT book.. I had already read The Informer by Sean O Callaghan and Killing Rage by Eamon Collins (both former IRA men and both excellent books) and this was a great book too. It really shows the horror of terrorism/war/extremism. Unsurprisingly bloodthirsty fans of war and the pira loved it too. I admired it because it exposed the sheer barbarity and inhumanity of the republican mindset which as a former republican I know too well.
- The only bandits we ever saw in South Armagh wore British uniforms...... I often make a mental note to write reviews for numerous items I ve purchased from Amazon, but lazyness usually get the better of me, but, alas, for Toby Harnden s Bandit Country I ve got my arse in gear and decided to contribute to the many other positive reviews, for one simple reason, because this book deserves all the recognition and praise that one can heap upon it. Simple as that.
I had the good fortune of having a mate of mine who owned this book insist on me taking a loan of it, and, somewhat against my will, I did......and as it turned out, I didn t (and couldn t) put it down until I had it finished. Since then, I have purchased my own copy, bought it as a gift for people, loaned it out, and constantly recommended it, that s how much it grabbed me.
As has been mentioned earlier, the author remains highly, and appropriately, impartial, something other British journalists could learn from. As a proud Irish person, admittedly with nationalistic sensitivities, this book has moments that made me feel very proud of the brave, fortright, and outright, resistance demonstrated by the South Armagh Brigade, but as a person against the killing of innocent individuals, it also details incidents that nobody but the most hardened of republicans could attempt to condone or justify.
That s what you get in this book.......an honest account of the bloody, armed struggle that has engulfed a small part of our country for years, and that s what s so very likeable about Harnden s tale, it doesn t try to glorify or condemn, justify or judge.
Instead, it fascinates the reader with the inside workings of a P.I.R.A. Active Service Unit, how the South Armagh Brigade reached notoriety as the most efficient, ruthless, disciplined and feared killing machine in the North and how the British Army struggled to contain them. Outsiders, I m sure, will marvel at how a so-called guerilla army took on the perceived might of the British Army and, on numerous occasions, outwitted and out-manouvered them, successfully making South Armagh a no-go area for outsiders and, statistically, for a time at least, the most dangerous area in the world for British Soldiers to serve.
Readers may also raise an eyebrow when they read of certain British Military personnel s grudging admiration for the IRA s success and proficiency in the battle-field.
I can t say much more that hasn t already been said I think......this book is a stunning, informative and addictive work from start to finish, and whatever your politics are, it would be more than well worth your while to invest in this seminal work on Northern Ireland.
(Just one extra nugget of information, recently a British helicopter crashed in a rural area in South Armagh. No foul-play was involved, but as British Soldiers stood guard over the damaged craft, waiting for it s removal, they came under attack from stones and petrol bombs on two consecutive nights.........although peace in Northern Ireland seems possible, maybe even immiment, it seems that as long as the Imperial forces are on their patch, the fighting men of Crossmaglen are not going to take their presence lying down!)
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Bandit Country: The IRA and South Armagh (ID: 034071736X)
