South Armagh was described as 'Bandit Country' by Merlyn Rees when he was Northern Ireland Secretary and for nearly three decades it has been the most dangerous posting in the world for a British soldier.

I believe that on of its overall strengths is the amount of new detail contained throughout - the book is not just a collection of what is already in the public domain. Though it is not entirely about him the figure that keeps coming up again and again is that of Thomas "Slab" Murphy, currently awaiting appeal for his conviction in British court on tax evasion and related charges.

Harnden appears as obsessed with the alleged main player in South Armagh, Thomas 'Slab' Murphy, as his security force contacts. It doesn't go into much detail but with a little "google work" you can look up the victims and read more about their story. If you want to understand the knife-edge stumble along the precipice to peace, you must read this book (Toby Harnden. The structure is disjointed, and it jumps around in a distracting and confusing manner, always trying to squeeze in more stuff than it can manage.

The author cites successive examples of the area being an extremely dangerous place for the Royal Irish Constabulary, the pre-partition British police force, and of course, the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC), post-partition. We are unable to offer refunds on digital purchases once payment is complete and the links have been sent. Branded 'Bandit Country' in 1975 by Merlin Rees, then NI secretary, no other part of the world has been as dangerous for someone wearing the uniform of the British army.

Good book, very detailed about the south armagh brigade and the conflict but a little more biased towards the brits. Even Harnden's sources within the British security forces admit they feared yet grudgingly respected the South Armagh IRA's ingenuity and ruthless determination. The British government is determined to break the tightly-knit South Armagh Brigade of the IRA before more lives are lost. Toby Harnden has stripped away the myth and propaganda associated with South Armagh to produce one of the most compelling and important books of the Troubles.

I’d first learned about the Troubles as a kid when I learned my grandpa emigrated from Ireland at 10 years old and due to the conflict didn’t want to talk about it, violence or war at all. What is most astonishing is that the book only covers one particular area in one of the 32 counties in Ireland, furthering your desire to investigate the other remaining counties situated north of Ireland. Drawing on secret documents and interviews on South Armagh's recent history, Harnden told the inside story of how the IRA came close to bringing the British state to its knees. He had been arrested following an IRA mortar attack on the RUC barracks in Newry, which spectacularly wiped out nine of the paramilitary police force's members. Sometimes you need to remind yourself of what happened during "The Troubles" in Northern Ireland, as you are prone to forget the horrors of what people, on all sides, had to live through.Famously described as ‘Bandit Country’ by Merlyn Rees when he was Northern Ireland Secretary, for nearly three decades South Armagh was the most dangerous posting in the world for a British soldier.