The Lost Revolution

In the first week of its release, “The Lost Revolution” shot straight into the top 5 non-fiction titles in Ireland. This in itself showed the enduring interest in the Official Republicans/The Workers’ Party. This interest was brought home to me again at the launch of the book, held in the Teachers club on September 12, which attracted an audience of around 300, including current and past members of the Official movement, as well as dozens of interested individuals from across the broad range of Republican and left groups in Ireland.

Related Links:
The Rise and Fall of The Stickies | Audio from Launch of The Lost Revolution | The Lost Revolution review from Irish Left Review

This interview, the first of two, enquires about the author’s interest in their subject. It also includes some analysis from the authors on key events covered in the book.

By Red Wedge. With special thanks to Godot, Brian Hanley and Scott Millar.

Red Wedge: Why is this the first book to be written about the Official Movement?

Brian Hanley: I suppose it suited a whole range of otherwise antagonistic people. One of the ironies is that the version of history that says the Officials wanted to demilitarise and become completely passive ties in with what the Provisionals say about them. Some people wanted to leave it all behind them, and then you have some people who have done very well in Irish society and would rather there was just the bland version of the party they were in rather than a warts and all story. That's one of the reasons why it was never before been written as a whole story.

Brian Hanley and Scott Millar at the book launch. Photo by Andrew Flood 0.03 Mb pdf of the article 0.87 Mb