Paul Bew is Professor of Irish Politics, Queens University Belfast, and a crossbench peer in the House of Lords. He is co-chair of the Speaker's Advisory Committee for Parliament's commemoration of the fiftieth anniversary of Churchill's death. He is also the author of numerous books and articles on Irish political history, including Ireland: The Politics of Enmity, 1789-2006 (2007), also published by Oxford University Press.
scholarly, readable and enjoyable ... As a study of a political chameleon and Ireland, this book can be highly recommended. * Robert McNamara, The Irish News * [A] fascinating book. * Evening Echo * A well researched and elegantly written book ... Paul Bew is one of Irelands most interesting and important political historians. * Eion O Broin, Sunday Business Post * Utterly compelling ... This is a provocative and fascinating book, all the more enjoyable for the energy and charm of its singular focus. * Eamon Delaney, Irish Independent * Paul Bew has achieved the near impossible: he has somehow written a book on an important aspect of Winston Churchill's statecraft that is totally comprehensive, genuinely ground-breaking and yet capable of being read in an afternoon. In a life that has been trawled over literally thousands of times by historians, Churchill's relations with Ireland have not received anything like the attention they deserve, despite the significant role he played in Irish history and Ireland's equally significant role in his own career. That historiographical gap has now been definitively filled by Bew's scholarly, highly readable and fascinating book. * Andrew Roberts, Literary Review * Lord Bew is a measured historian of notable experience ... [he] makes a real effort here to paint a well-rounded view of Churchill's relationship with Ireland, warts and all. * JP O'Malley, Irish Independent * a short but absorbing book ... Surprisingly, this is the first major study on a relationship which was literally central to Churchill's family, life and political career. * Keith Simpson, Iain Dale's blog * Lord Bew's outstanding, sharply written account sets out, for the first time, how Winston Churchill's intellect, wit and, at times, deviousness, shaped the relationship between Britain and Ireland. [...] Paul Bew alters our perception of the great man by showing for the first time that he determined the shape of the relationship between and within the two islands more than any other British politician. In doing this, he confirms his reputation as one of the foremost Irish historians of his generation. * Lord Lexden, The House Magazine * [A] succinct and challenging overview of Winston Churchill's complex relationship with Ireland. * Diarmaid Ferriter, Irish Times * The book provides excellent coverage of the 1916-22, and establishes a solid basis for understanding the later period. * Ryle Dwyer, Irish Examiner * brings the methodology of a scrupulous historian to his task * Peter Clarke, Times Literary Supplement * [An] informed, balanced study ... As a distinguished Irish historian, Bew brings much knowledge of the Irish background. * Roland Quinault, History Today * Paul Bew's elegant, concise and meticulous study is a timely reminder both of the profound entwinement of Irish and British history and of the interventions made by Britain's most famous 20th-century politician upon the destiny of its neighbouring island. This is also a book of surprises, particularly for readers inculcated with stories of Churchill's hostility to Ireland. * Neil Hegarty, The Daily Telegraph *