The opening shots of the War of Independence were fired by the Third Tipperary Brigade of the IRA, led by the charismatic Seán Treacy. He was a gifted guerrilla fighter and an inspirational leader. This book is a major re-evaluation of Treacy and of the personalities and events which kick-started Irelands march towards freedom.Joe Ambrose brings a new perspective to the Tan War, suggesting that the roots of Tipperarys militancy went back to the nineteenth century when the Young Irelanders and Fenians fought romantically in the hills and valleys of the county. He shows how the indecision which governed Tipperarys participation in the 1916 Rising gave way to out-and-out conflict and war. Seán Treacy and the Tan War covers the exploits of the Flying Columns, IRA intelligence gathering, the role of women in the fight, and the horrors of Croke Parks Bloody Sunday recalled for the first time by a man who witnessed the carnage at first hand as a member of the Tipperary team.