Veteran IRA leader Ernie O’Malley criticized Kilkenny as being "slack" during the War of Independence, but Kilkenny was truly at the forefront of the struggle for Irish freedom. Kilkenny has been overlooked in accounts of this period, and this book rectifies that neglect: aimed at the general reader with an interest in Kilkenny and the Irish Revolution, the main personalities and events in the broader national context are illuminated by the key events and personalities of the county.