Merrion Press 🔖is on the cusp of publishing a new book by former US Marine and IRA volunteer, John Crawley.
COMING SOON
THE
YANK MY LIFE AS A FORMER US MARINE IN THE IRA
JOHN
CRAWLEY
'Powerfully written and relentlessly
nerve-shredding, it’s a modern-day masterpiece unlike any other book ever
written about the war in the North of Ireland.’ Sam Millar, author of On The Brinks
THE YEAR IS 1975. A young
Irish-American is on a mission to enlist in an elite unit of the US
Marine Corps. His goal: to receive the most intensive military training
possible and then go to Ireland to join the IRA and fight to end the
British occupation of the North.
In this powerful and brutally
honest memoir of his extraordinary experiences, John Crawley details the
gruelling challenges of his Marine Corps training, and how, not long
after his discharge, he joined the IRA. Soon he found himself in Boston,
working with notorious American mobster James ‘Whitey’ Bulger to amass a
shipment of weapons. When captured on the Marita
Ann gun-running trawler off the Kerry coast, Crawley was
imprisoned for ten years, and upon his release he became one of the
masterminds behind the IRA’s plan to throw London’s electrical system
into disarray.
Crawley is blisteringly
candid about the people he worked with and unflinching in his commentary
on the IRA leadership. Through it all comes the steadfast voice of a man
on a mission, providing an evocative and passionate account of where that
mission led him and why. To this day, he remains committed to the
establishment of an all-Ireland Republic.
Paperback • €16.95 | £14.99 •
288 pages • 234 mm x 153 mm • 9781785374234
‘The Yank is
an extraordinary piece of work. No sentiment or self-pity; hardboiled and
disarmingly direct. A compelling read.’ Patrick
McCabe, author of The Butcher Boy
‘In terms of insider accounts
John Crawley’s The Yank is as good as it gets. Strategic rather
than starry eyed, the highly regarded former IRA volunteer peels away the
layers of mist that have shrouded the IRA. Not a sensationalist read, but
very much a gripping one.’ Anthony
McIntyre
‘The Yank is
the electrifying memoir and definitive account of guerrilla days in
modern Ireland, by a man who refused to shy away from duty and love for
this country. Powerfully written and relentlessly nerve-shredding, it’s a
modern-day masterpiece unlike any other book ever written about the war
in the North of Ireland.’ Sam
Millar, author of On The Brinks
‘I read The
Yank in one sitting . . . Crawley draws you in from the
first line to the last and he doesn’t go . . . he writes with a candour
and clarity that is both absorbing and direct. This is a seminal book
that should be read by everyone with an interest in Irish affairs’ Richard
O’Rawe, author of Northern Heist
John Crawley is a
former Sergeant in the United States Marine Corps and a former Irish
Republican Army volunteer. Born in New York to Irish immigrant parents,
he moved to Ireland as a young teenager and later returned to America to
receive formal military training in order to join the IRA. John was
imprisoned for ten years for taking part in a daring cross-Atlantic
gun-running operation. Upon his release, he returned to IRA active
service before being arrested in London for conspiracy to cause
explosions. He received another 35-year sentence but was released from
prison under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement. John remains
committed to the establishment of a united Irish Republic.
Merrion Press 🔖is on the cusp of publishing a new book by former US Marine and IRA volunteer, John Crawley.
COMING SOON
THE
YANK MY LIFE AS A FORMER US MARINE IN THE IRA
JOHN
CRAWLEY
'Powerfully written and relentlessly
nerve-shredding, it’s a modern-day masterpiece unlike any other book ever
written about the war in the North of Ireland.’ Sam Millar, author of On The Brinks
THE YEAR IS 1975. A young
Irish-American is on a mission to enlist in an elite unit of the US
Marine Corps. His goal: to receive the most intensive military training
possible and then go to Ireland to join the IRA and fight to end the
British occupation of the North.
In this powerful and brutally
honest memoir of his extraordinary experiences, John Crawley details the
gruelling challenges of his Marine Corps training, and how, not long
after his discharge, he joined the IRA. Soon he found himself in Boston,
working with notorious American mobster James ‘Whitey’ Bulger to amass a
shipment of weapons. When captured on the Marita
Ann gun-running trawler off the Kerry coast, Crawley was
imprisoned for ten years, and upon his release he became one of the
masterminds behind the IRA’s plan to throw London’s electrical system
into disarray.
Crawley is blisteringly
candid about the people he worked with and unflinching in his commentary
on the IRA leadership. Through it all comes the steadfast voice of a man
on a mission, providing an evocative and passionate account of where that
mission led him and why. To this day, he remains committed to the
establishment of an all-Ireland Republic.
Paperback • €16.95 | £14.99 •
288 pages • 234 mm x 153 mm • 9781785374234
‘The Yank is
an extraordinary piece of work. No sentiment or self-pity; hardboiled and
disarmingly direct. A compelling read.’ Patrick
McCabe, author of The Butcher Boy
‘In terms of insider accounts
John Crawley’s The Yank is as good as it gets. Strategic rather
than starry eyed, the highly regarded former IRA volunteer peels away the
layers of mist that have shrouded the IRA. Not a sensationalist read, but
very much a gripping one.’ Anthony
McIntyre
‘The Yank is
the electrifying memoir and definitive account of guerrilla days in
modern Ireland, by a man who refused to shy away from duty and love for
this country. Powerfully written and relentlessly nerve-shredding, it’s a
modern-day masterpiece unlike any other book ever written about the war
in the North of Ireland.’ Sam
Millar, author of On The Brinks
‘I read The
Yank in one sitting . . . Crawley draws you in from the
first line to the last and he doesn’t go . . . he writes with a candour
and clarity that is both absorbing and direct. This is a seminal book
that should be read by everyone with an interest in Irish affairs’ Richard
O’Rawe, author of Northern Heist
John Crawley is a
former Sergeant in the United States Marine Corps and a former Irish
Republican Army volunteer. Born in New York to Irish immigrant parents,
he moved to Ireland as a young teenager and later returned to America to
receive formal military training in order to join the IRA. John was
imprisoned for ten years for taking part in a daring cross-Atlantic
gun-running operation. Upon his release, he returned to IRA active
service before being arrested in London for conspiracy to cause
explosions. He received another 35-year sentence but was released from
prison under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement. John remains
committed to the establishment of a united Irish Republic.
I was working not far from Free Derry corner and I bumped into him.Think I was after information. He stuck out as he was a yank with snow white hair, quietly spoken and keen to end the conversation but not curt. I could be mistaken with the passage of time but I remember seeing his mugshot on TV a couple of years later and being stunned.
Really looking forward to this. As are quite a number of other people, although not for the same reason! The index will be well thumbed even prior to sale!
The Whitey tales are interesting. I would not be at all surprised to hear that he was here around the time mentioned above.....
One of the best books ever written about the war in the North of Ireland. When a copy was sent to me by the publisher, I initially was reluctant to read it, thinking: another book on how Martin and Gerry saved us all from ourselves, and defeated the Brits on their own. Boy, was I wrong. Here was a man who could so easily have went down the path in a totally different another direction, of a comfortable lifestyle, without ever concerning himself about Britain's heavily armed occupation of Ireland. But he didn't. Thank the gods.
Former IRA volunteer and ex-prisoner, spent 18 years in Long Kesh, 4 years on the blanket and no-wash/no work protests which led to the hunger strikes of the 80s. Completed PhD at Queens upon release from prison. Left the Republican Movement at the endorsement of the Good Friday Agreement, and went on to become a journalist. Co-founder of The Blanket, an online magazine that critically analyzed the Irish peace process. Lead researcher for the Belfast Project, an oral history of the Troubles.
Funny, I'm convinced I met Whitey Bulger in Derry around 2003. I didn't know who he was until years later.
ReplyDeleteBulger gets a lot of coverage in the book
Delete@ Steve R - what were the circumstances of the Bulger encounter? If you don't mind me asking...
ReplyDeleteBrandon,
DeleteI was working not far from Free Derry corner and I bumped into him.Think I was after information. He stuck out as he was a yank with snow white hair, quietly spoken and keen to end the conversation but not curt. I could be mistaken with the passage of time but I remember seeing his mugshot on TV a couple of years later and being stunned.
Matt Treacy Comments
ReplyDeleteReally looking forward to this. As are quite a number of other people, although not for the same reason! The index will be well thumbed even prior to sale!
The Whitey tales are interesting. I would not be at all surprised to hear that he was here around the time mentioned above.....
No surprise there Matt - I found it quite the read.
DeleteMust read, met a few Yanks in the six counties myself, different circles, but must read this.
ReplyDeleteCaoimhin O'Muraile
One of the best books ever written about the war in the North of Ireland. When a copy was sent to me by the publisher, I initially was reluctant to read it, thinking: another book on how Martin and Gerry saved us all from ourselves, and defeated the Brits on their own. Boy, was I wrong. Here was a man who could so easily have went down the path in a totally different another direction, of a comfortable lifestyle, without ever concerning himself about Britain's heavily armed occupation of Ireland. But he didn't. Thank the gods.
ReplyDelete