Michael Collins and The Making of a New Ireland. Dublin: Phoenix Pub., 1926. First Edition. Two Volumes. Pp (1) xv, 458; (2) vii, 484. Bound in quarter green morocco, over marbled paper boards, spine with ruled bands, compartments ruled & embellished in gilt; title labels to second & third; top edges in gilt. a fine bright set, handsomely bound.

Illustrated with Nineteen Plates.

A detailed, first-hand account of Collins’ role in Ireland’s struggle for independence, from his early life and involvement in the Easter Rising to his leadership during the War of Independence and the Treaty negotiations. Béaslaí, a member of the Irish Volunteers and a confidant of Collins, draws on personal recollections, official documents, and eyewitness testimony to present a sympathetic and comprehensive portrait.

Piaras Béaslaí fought in the Easter Rising of 1916, and the Irish War of Independence. During the Irish War of Independence, he helped facilitate a mass escape of rebels from jail in Manchester. Later Béaslaí became director of publicity for IRA, and at the 1918 general election he was elected to the First Dáil Éireann as Sinn Féin TD for Kerry East. At the 1921 general election he was returned to the Second Dáil as a Sinn Féin Teachta Dála for Kerry-Limerick West. He was re-elected in the 1922 election as a pro-Treaty Sinn Féin candidate. His biography remains a seminal source for understanding Collins’ impact on Irish history, blending narrative vigour with political insight.