The 1916 Easter Rising and its aftermath changed Ireland for ever. The British government's execution of 14 republican rebels for their role in Ireland's most significant rebellion since 1798 transformed Irish public opinion: a group hitherto perceived as cranks and troublemakers were now feted as national heroes. Those who avoided the British firing squads of May 1916 would go on to plan a new - and ultimately successful - struggle for Ireland's independence, shaping their country's destiny for the century to come. Best-selling historian Tim Pat Coogan tells the dramatic story of Ireland's ascent to nationhood in the years 1916 to 1923 against the bloody backdrop of the Anglo-Irish guerilla war of 1919-21 and the tragic Civil War of 1922-23. He also outlines the emergence of two Irish states following partition, and explores how these two Irelands have developed and adapted over the hundred years since Ireland's first 'Troubles'.