When a book boasts a monumental declaration such as the death of Irish Republicanism, it had better stand up to scrutiny. And so it was with relish I tucked into Anthony McIntyre's Good Friday, seeking not a full dinner, but at least some tasty morsels...Despite its academically-inclined leanings, readers should not be put off, as the book is compulsive reading and offers at times a very accessible insight to the key events and personalities which have shaped the contemporary history of the Republican Movement from the early 70s to present day. The book is most absorbing when it details happenings we think we're familiar with: The Hunger Strikes, the brutal murder of Robert McCartney, Decommissioning, The Colombia Three, Stakeknife and, of course, The Good Friday Agreement. They are all there, critically analysed in a concise voice. At times the book reads like a Shakespearean tragedy peppered with Greek irony; other times it reads like The Diary of Samuel Pepys or Orwell's prophetically brilliant Animal Farm...The author's opinions will interest those looking for an alternative to the uncritical party voice of Sinn Fein, or those wishing to gain an insight into the machinations of life inside that organisation. Some within the breathing republican family will no doubt scoff at the idea of being classified as dead. Only time will tell if Doctor McIntyre's grim prognosis of The Republican Movement is accurate or if, to paraphrase Mark Twain: its death has been greatly exaggerated, once again...Good Friday: The Death of Irish Republicanism is an important book, gripping, honest and revelatory, it's one that probably will not find it's way onto Gerry Adams' must-read list. It should, however, be on yours.  ―Sam Millar, Verbal Magazine

Anthony McIntyre is a former IRA prisoner who spent eighteen years in the H-Blocks of Long Kesh Prison. He completed his Ph.D. upon release and has written extensively on Northern Irish politics.