In Albert Reynolds: Risktaker for Peace, Conor Lenihan takes the

reader on a journey through the former Taoiseach’s fascinating life.

From his early days in Roscommon, Reynolds’ determination and

hard work saw him rise from a humble clerical job with Irish Rail to

become one of Ireland's best-known showbiz promoters. But it is as

creator of the template for peace on the island of Ireland that he,

deservedly, will be best remembered.

Reynolds’ extraordinary progress from the cut-throat world of

business to local politics, and, ultimately, government ministries, was

driven by the entrepreneurial spirit and impatience that became the

hallmark of his success and his failure. Appointed as Taoiseach in

1992, by 1994 he had been drummed out of office, yet in that brief

period he confounded his critics by fast-tracking an end to the

violence of the Troubles, with the IRA and Loyalist ceasefires.

In the first complete biography of Reynolds, former Minister of State

Conor Lenihan delivers an insider's account that reveals the

courageous personal risks Reynolds took to create the template for

peace in Ireland, and the highs and lows of a tempestuous, risk

taking life.