I got this as an arc on Netgalley and it has since come out. Although this book specifically looks at Ireland's past, present and future with fascism, this was an interesting look into how fascism looks and how to recognise it now.

There is a strong belief in Ireland that we don't do fascism, that far-right extremism and racism is an issue on the Continent, but not for us. The book dispells this myth and shows the long history of far-right groups in Ireland and the almost countless number of fascist parties that have been set up (though thankfully almost all quickly disappeared without a trace). I had no idea that there had been a branch of the Nazi Party in Dublin among the German community.

The book is very factual, although at times too much so, with some sections just being a listing of facts and events that would benefit from a detailed analysis and a broader narrative. The last chapter in particular needs more work, it is far too long, covering everything from 1945 to the present day, and should instead be at least 3 separate chapters. The section on the current rise of far-right parties feels rushed and needs more analysis, and the book could do with a conclusion chapter.

The author does have something of a Republican bias and he repeatedly emphasises the presence of Republicans among anti-Fascist activists while portraying the far-right as not true Republicans. In contrast, he highlights the links between Fascists and Unionists, while not mentioning any anti-Fascists Unionists. Reading the book, you get the impression that Unionism is complicit with Fascism whereas Republicanism has always stood strong against it, whereas the reality is more nuanced.

Overall, a very interesting book that just needs a little polishing.

When I moved from the US to Ireland 11 years ago, it was partly because of what I was seeing politically in my country of origin. It was clear that the political right was getting more extreme and the political left didn't understand what was happening in that world and the attitudes held by people with compatible worldviews. Without understanding these things, it's impossible to push back against them. So upon my arrival here, this was something I was paying attention to. There are many differences between the political systems and while there are many similarities, cultural expectations are very different between the two countries as are the national myths and many other things. The politics will reflect and be influenced by all that, of course. It didn't take me long to realize that there was no major organized far right political party in Ireland. To be sure, there was evidence of a few people scattered around spewing their hatred, and a few attempts at creating political parties based on far right ideas, but these never came to fruition. More recently, particularly after the pandemic, such people have become more visible and violent and have managed to form some small parties or have run as independents. A handful of them got elected to local offices, but in the general election later in the year, they had no success.

Since I've been here, I have followed these shifts with interest and have wanted to know more about what underlies these attitudes. Some of it is what you'd expect--immigration, societal upheaval, economic issues. But there was more to it than that. So when I saw this book, I was eager to read it. It did not disappoint. The author skillfully weaves together the different cultural strands that fed into the fascist movement and the opposition to it from the time when Irish independence was just beginning to the present day. He starts with the rise of fascism in Italy, which was picked up by some of the few Italian immigrants in Dublin at the time. He shows how it was spreading in Britain, and what that meant for Ireland, particularly with issues around partition and tensions between those who wanted Ireland--and especially Northern Ireland--to remain a part of the British Empire and those who wanted a united Ireland. The British fascists argued that the fight for Irish independence was part of a Jewish plot to take over the world. This is another important aspect of this book--it illustrates very well the ways in which any societal crisis can be twisted into a nonsensical conspiracy theory that will be believed by some segment of the population and used to cause great harm. One thing this history does is remind us that the underlying methods of mis/disinformation and hate-mongering have been the same in the past, but now we have instant communication so this spreads faster and connects more people. Another common boogeyman was and is socialism--or more accurately, the fear of socialism. All of the rhetoric being spewed out now by far right ideologues worldwide was being spewed out in the past, too, with culturally resonant details tossed in.

In any case, the popularity of far right/fascist groups has waxed and waned through time, sometimes making strange bedfellows.

At the moment, the fascists/far right in Ireland are being advised by more experienced and better organized groups from both the US and UK. I expect we haven't heard the last of them.

This is an excellent book and I am so glad to have read it. It was exactly the book I'd been looking for and had been unable to find until now. It's an important contribution to Irish history, anthropology, and political science as well as for those interested in the rise of far right political movements in general. It was fascinating, informative, and provided much food for thought.