The period leading up to Ireland gaining independence remains a hugely popular with readers both at home and abroad. The success of the film 'The Wind That Shakes the Barley’ serves to further ignite interest in those turbulent years. Comrades - Inside the War of Independence follows on from hugely successful Witnesses: Inside the Rising and draws on official witness statements (taken in the late 1940s) and only released to the public in 2002. In its judicious use of the statements given by the foot-soldiers and second-line participants in the War Of independence, the book provides a unique perspective on the events of Easter 1916. Author Annie Ryan organizes the events geographically and includes a chapter on the significant role played by women throughout the War Of Independence.