The ‘General Strike Against British Militarism’ of April 1919 – the Limerick Soviet - was the first significant Irish example of a wave of soviets and general strikes that swept across Europe after the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917, the end of the Great War and the collapse of the empires of the defeated Central Powers. Since Ireland was a British colony, the Limerick Soviet had roots in both militant Separatism as well as a rising Socialist consciousness among workers. In this engaging and elegant new book, Liam Cahill chronicles these events and the lives of the women and men involved. Far from being an isolated, exotic event in a devout provincial city, Cahill shows how Limerick was an internationally recognised milestone in the European tide of revolution and how it inspired hundreds of other soviets, strikes and occupations that were put down by the military forces of Britain, the First Dáil, Anti-Treaty Irregulars and the Irish Free State. It was a war within a war.Uncovering new primary sources, ‘Forgotten Revolution, The Limerick Soviet 1919 [Centenary Edition]’ tells the story of these events in a way that will please general as well as academic readers.1919 was the year when Separatist forces in Ireland significantly increased the momentum of the struggle for Independence into a guerrilla war. Peaceful Separatists, like Éamon de Valera, saw the potent moral force on international opinion of the establishment of the first Dáil Éireann as the way forward. Militant Separatists - the rejuvenated Irish Republican Brotherhood, led by Michael Collins - actively prepared to resume the fight begun at Easter 1916. The women and men of a rapidly growing trade union movement were also taking their first steps towards achieving James Connolly’s Worker’s Republic and were regarded by the British authorities as the greater threat to their rule. Liam Cahill has chronicled the Limerick Soviet with skill and balance, driven neither by blind enthusiasm for its memory or by heavy-handed pedantry. Unlike the soviet, his book is a success. - Seán Dunne, The Irish Examiner The story of the Limerick Soviet is told for the first time in this entertaining book. It is a fine addition to the now considerable volume of work of Labour historians and brings the Soviet justifiably back into the centre stage of our history. - Patrick Smyth, The Irish Times A very readable narrative. Cahill, an experienced journalist and himself a good union man, looks as though he has produced a story that anyone could find interesting and the historians won't sniff at. Excellent notes, bibliography and index and quite a few photos. - Books Ireland The establishment, maintenance and demise of the Limerick 'Soviet' is a good story and Liam Cahill tells it very well. Of interest to a wide audience. - Peter Cassells, former General Secretary, Irish Congress of Trade Unions Based on a wide range of primary and secondary sources in Ireland and Britain as well as local interviews, the book is meticulously researched and constitutes a valuable addition to local and national labour history studies in Ireland. The work is one of accurate scholarship and sound judgement. - Fergus D'Arcy, Professor Emeritus in modern history at University College Dublin