Book excerpt: When originally published in 1984, this book was the first detailed study of terrorism in Ireland. It assesses the situation in Ireland after a decade or more of violence in the North and tests some of the assumptions about the nature of terrorism and discusses the problem in a geo-political context. The authors reflect a variety of disciplines and political outlooks and no single line of argument is offered. They examine how the issue of terrorism has been dealt with by various governments, the church, the media and individuals. The book reveals the complexity of the terrorist problem and dispels some of the myths that have grown up around Irish terrorism.