"Athlone: 1900 1923 "is perhaps the most detailed study ever carried out for an Irish town during these tumultuous times. It is a meticulously researched study of how the developing fortunes of Irish nationalism played out on a local stage, allowing us to appreciate just how momentous the change was to be to daily life. Throughout this work, the motivations and ideologies of the local personalities that lent color to much of what occurred are analyzed, as are the interactions of national personalities and the effects of national and international events on the town's populace and nationalist life."