This is a readable and meticulously researched book which describes the full story of the vicious battle between Republican and Provisional Government forces for control of Limerick city in the early parts of the Civil War.
The Civil War arrived in Limerick with a whimper rather than a bang. Outnumbered and out-gunned, the pro-Treaty commander of the city, Michael Brennan, negotiated a truce with the Chief-of-Staff of the much stronger anti-Treaty force, Liam Lynch.
The benefit of this lull in fighting accrued almost entirely to the pro-Treaty side. They gained time for reinforcements and weaponry to arrive and when they did, the city became a battleground of extreme viciousness. Several buildings were shelled by 18-pounder guns at point-blank range. The fighting around the Strand Barracks was particulary heavy.
Pádraig Óg O'Ruairc offers a fresh perspective on the struggle that reduced the viability of the Republicans hoped-for Munster Republic and set the stage for the battle of Kilmallock, which turned the tide of the Civil War in favour of the pro-Treaty forces
