Tom Barry was one of the most dynamic and effective IRA commanders during Ireland’s War of Independence and the guerrilla campaign he waged against Crown forces in West Cork continues to be studied in military academies throughout the world. Born the son of a member of the Royal Irish Constabulary who went on to join the British Army and serve in Mesopotamia during the First World War, Barry was an unlikely rebel. In this presentation, Gerry White examines the factors that influenced this son of a loyal Irishman and a British Army veteran to take up arms against the forces of the Crown and fight for an independent Irish Republic.
