Jack Lynch is one of the most important and perhaps most underrated Irish political leaders of the twentieth century. A sportsman who won six All-Ireland medals in a row with Cork, he was also a civil servant and a barrister before being elected to Dil ireann in 1948. During his thirty-one years as a parliamentarian, he held the ministries of Education, Industry and Commerce, and Finance before succeeding Sean Lemass as Taoiseach in 1966. Lynch held office during the critical years of the late 1960s and early 1970s when Northern Ireland disintegrated and civil unrest swept through Belfast, Derry and other towns. This precipitated one of the worst crises in the history of the Irish state.Jack Lynch upheld the parliamentary democratic tradition at great personal and political cost, even to the point of fracturing the unity of his government and his party. If you want to know what happened during those terrible years, read this book.Jack Lynch, A Biography: Table of ContentsFrom Shandon to Dil ireannPoverty and society in the Shandon areaDaniel and Nora LynchPolitics and the Lynch familyEarly childhood, education and signs of sporting promiseDeath of Nora LynchNorth Monastery and sporting stardomLeaving Certificate, 1936: From first job to study of lawMeeting with Mirn O'ConnorHigh honours and the end of a distinguished careerJourneyman Politician: Backbench TD and Parliamentary Secretary, 194857Backbench TDGeneral election and promotion to parliamentary secretary, 19514Opposition again: The 1954 general election and three years on the back benchesMinister for Education, 195794Minister for Industry and Commerce, 195965Lynch and the legislative backlogLynch and the industrial unrest of the 1960sTourism and miningAttracting industry to CorkGeneral election, the road to free trade and membership of the EECMinister for Finance, 19656Closing in on speculatorsFinal months in FinanceNeither a 'Caretaker' nor a 'Reluctant' Taoiseach, 19669Why Haughey was promotedTaca and controlling Fianna FilForeign policy, membership of the EEC and Anglo-Irish relationsIrish foreign policy and Viet NamVisit to Terence O'NeillConflict in Northern IrelandThe 1969 general electionThe Northern 'Troubles' and the Irish StateHillery's visit to London, 1 August 1969Government meeting as Northern crisis worsensLynch's television addressThe Government's follow-up actionWhitaker called on for adviceHillery in London againGovernment meeting of 16 August 1969Press and propaganda strategy and Operation 'Silk Purse'Hillery at the United NationsThe IRA and the Lynch policy of 'no fraternisation'Public diplomacy and Northern IrelandWhitaker and the shaping of policy on Northern IrelandRegaining the policy initiativeThe Voice of the NorthMilitary intelligence and Northern IrelandOpen challenge from Neil Blaney: 'Fianna Fil never ruled out the use of force'The Fianna Fil ard-fheis, 1970Conspiracy to import armsThe Dundalk arms shipmentThe murder of Garda Fallon and gun-runningCaptain Kelly and the 'gun-running' plan'We stand on the brink of a great achievement'The Arms TrialKeeping a dignified silence'You can have Boland but you cannot have Fianna Fil': The 1971 ard-fheisIreland and Europe: Negotiating Membership of the EECConstitutional Politics and Revolutionary Challenge, 19713InternmentIntervention by Mirn LynchSunday, Bloody SundayThe IRA discusses assassinating the Minister for JusticeWhitaker opens lines of communication with UnionismSummer peace overtures end in failureWhitaker and the parallel track to the Unionists and the BritishAnglo-Irish relations in the autumn of 1972Opposition and Return to Power, 1973-9Aiken resigns over Haughey nominationVictory for the National CoalitionLynch, the National Coalition and Sunningdale, 1973Life in oppositionThe Littlejohn affair: 'Stinking to high Heaven'Reviving Fianna FilThe road back to powerFianna Fil returns to power'Happy is the man who finds wisdom': Retirement and Final Years, 198099Staying out of politicsDeath and funeralO'Malley's graveside orationIn appreciation of a public lifeDeath of Má:irn LynchJack Lynch's Place in Irish History