Film & Television
Book review: Straight-shooting history of Defence Forces exposes continuing gamble on peace
The free access to armed forces archives granted to Eoin Kinsella has resulted in a well researched and beautifully illustrated book, though on occasion the author skirts around controversial topics
The great Irish civil servant TK Whitaker was nothing if not a straight shooter. In the early 1970s, a disgruntled soldier asked him why Ireland’s spending on military matters was only half that of other EEC countries.
“On defence we are like an uninsured, untaxed motorist, skimping on car maintenance,” Whitaker explained. “So long as we don’t have an accident or are not stopped by the Guards, we will get away with it… It is ...
