Melanie McDonagh Melanie McDonagh

When Irish nationalism meant sexual adventure

A review of Vivid Faces: The Revolutionary Generation in Ireland, 1890 – 1923, by R.F. Foster. There will be many accounts of the Easter Rising but few will be as enjoyable as this

The theatrical Constance Markewicz founded the military boy scouts, who would later staff the IRA. [Bridgeman Images]
  • Comments

  • Vivid Faces: The Revolutionary Generation in Ireland,1890–1923

    R.F. Foster

    Allen Lane, pp. 496

Already a subscriber? Log in

This article is for subscribers only

Get a free bottle of Johnnie Walker Black Label when you subscribe to The Spectator for just £12 in our Black Friday sale

  • Free bottle of Johnnie Walker Black Label whisky, worth £30
  • Unlimited access to our website and app
  • Enjoy Spectator newsletters and podcasts
  • Explore our online archive, going back to 1828

Read next

Trending

Michael Evans

Here’s what Putin wants from Ukraine

Donald Trump is still two months away from becoming the 47th president of the United States, and yet his return to the Oval Office in January has already provoked a flurry of policy U-turns by the White House and rising expectation, even in Moscow, of a deal to end the war in Ukraine. Elements of a

More on book review

Also by Melanie McDonagh

Latest

Comments

Black Friday sale: Get 10 weeks for just $1

Unlimited access to the The Spectator, online and via the app

Already a subscriber? Log in