Behind the mask

"Behind the Mask is the most comprehensive investigation available of the rise of the IRA and its political wing, Sinn Fein. Author Peter Taylor, a veteran journalist with over 25 years of reporting in Northern Ireland, has achieved unprecedented access to IRA members and documents, Irish and British soldiers, politicians and eyewitnesses to the Troubles. From the Easter rising in 1916 to the ceasefire in effect today, the history and politics of the conflict are laid out here with deadly clarity." "Once jailed as terrorists, IRA leaders now have been feted at the White House and elected to Parliament in London. The IRA and Sinn Fein, led by Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness, are parties to historic peace talks. How does the IRA now see itself and its struggle? Is peace really at hand? Is peace what is wanted? Is Ireland on the brink of settling this most ancient of conflicts, or destined to endure more decades of 'war'?"--Jacket.