The Big Fellow: Michael Collins and the Irish Revolution

Frank O'Connor's book is excellent and an entrancing introduction to Michael Collins. If you already are apprised of Michael Collins and his heroic contributions to Ireland it still offers much not available in other biographies. It is fascinating and readable and, therefore, recommended for a first book about Collins. Of course, anything written by O'Connor is of the highest quality. A few of my favorite books are O'Connor's An Only Child and My Father's Son about his own childhood and early adulthood. There are many books written about Collins but quite a few of the more recent ones do not hold up to the quality provided herein. It does not provide history in depth like the wonderful books by Coogan or Forester but it is the one book that captures the mood of the time and the monumental efforts and effectiveness of Michael Collins as he reshaped Ireland's history. Keep in mind that O'Connor was not a Free Stater and this brings some coolness to the narrative but I think he was able to capture the immensity of the man and his purpose.

Ireland's independence has a lot to do with Michael Collins. It was him that led the independence struggle as some of his ideologue brothers spent time in American thinking of an Irish Republic. Mick Collins led the independence struggle while much of the IRA was either in exile or prison. He did so at great risk to himself. When the British wanted to negotiate, it was Mick who was the lead diplomat. He got the best deal he could from the British and then was opposed by the same ideolgues who spent their struggle in prison or America. This led to the Irish Civil War between Republicans and Free Staters. The capstone of the Civil War was when Mick was assasinated. This is not a complete biography of Michael Collins. If one desires a lengthy biography, please read Coogan's book. However this book provides a measure of the man. A good read.

I remember reading this book in school in Ireland. Collins was a true patriot, but like most of us he had his faults. The book shows the good and bad at a time in Irish history when life was in some cases very cheap. Collins place in the peace treaty can never be discounted and the controvesy relating to the ambush and death will probably never be fully uncovered. I was and still am touched by his own words when he signed the treaty "today I have signed my own death warrant" a true giant the " Big Fellow ".

This biography was fascinating to me because it was written much closer to the time of the events related than more recent books on Collins, and was written by a man who fought in the Irish Civil War (in which Collins lost his life)and fought on the side opposite Collins. The book is written in a novelistic style that can sometimes be rather offputting, but it is nonetheless an intriguing view of the most charismatic and, probably, most effective Irish leader ever. Certainly it reveals the great regard in which Collins was, and is, held by his countrymen, even those who did not support him after the Treaty which precipitated the civil war(which Ireland seems only now to be putting behind it).Anyone interested in Michael Collins and the tremendous impact he had on his country should read this book.

This Collins biography was the first one I ever read. I bought it immediately after viewing Neil Jordan's biopic in 1996 and tore through it cover-to-cover in no time flat. Part of that was from youthful enthusiasm and the rest because O'Connor's writing style is so engaging. O'Connor himself deemed the book a "labour of love" and it is clear from the very first page that he meant it. My paperback edition has a foreword from the author in which he explains his affinity to Collins and his motivations for writing the biography. From there, he divides the text into three parts: Lilliput in London, The Body and the Lash, and The Tragic Dilemma. He covers Collins' youth, though his focus begins during Collins' teen years in London. He discusses the Easter Rising, Collins' jail time, his work at infiltrating the British spy system, Bloody Sunday, Collins' assassination, and, very briefly, the aftermath in Ireland. Throughout the book, O'Connor gives his reader a voyeuristic peek into Collins' life through Collins' own words and Collins' personality traits. This is one of the best Collins biographies at allowing the audience to know Michael the person as opposed to Michael the soldier, Michael the revolutionary, or Michael the politician. Also what sets O'Connor apart is his creative writing background. His words are infused with a kind of passion to which many writers can only aspire. I have to admit the last three paragraphs of the book may have you in tears as I was the first time I read them. If you are new to the life of Collins, this is not a bad selection to begin with and, likewise, if you are already familiar with Collins, this is an excellent book to include in your collection.