Na Fianna Éireann was founded on August 16th 1909 in an old run down hall at 34 Lower Camden Street. A committee which included Countess Markievicz and Bulmer Hobson had called the meeting in order to recruit boys in Dublin to a new nationalist body. The hundred or so boys who attended determined to create a organisation which would offer a suitable alternative to the growing Baden-Powell ‘Boy Scout’ movement. What developed over the next fourteen years was a veritable boy’s army which played a crucial role in the Irish Revolution.

This book is unique in telling the history of Na Fianna Éireann. It charts its growth and development from 1909 to 1923, giving for the first time access to the stories of individual members. The book also analyses its expansion into a truly national organisation with over 30,000 members spread throughout Ireland’s 32 counties. Significantly the involvement of the Fianna Éireann in the following events is described in detail:

• The development of Na Fianna Éireann in its early years • A history of the flag, badge, uniform and song of Na Fianna Éireann • The launch and growth of the Irish Volunteers • The Howth and Kilcoole gun running operations • The Fianna circle of the IRB • The Fianna involvement in 1916 Rising • The reorganisation of the Fianna in the aftermath of 1916 • The Fianna participation in the ‘Tan War’