Kathleen Hegarty Thorne has spent thirty years writing about this time period, first in her history of County Roscommon’s part in the struggle for independence, They Put the Flag a-Flyin’, and working in conjunction with Irish researcher, Patrick Flanagan, producing a trilogy of volumes called Echoes of Their Footsteps, that highlight the IRA’s struggles all around the country from 1914 to 1950. This latest venture, Books on the Heather, focuses a spotlight on the Irish War of Independence and Civil War as it relates to events in County Mayo from 1920 through 1923. The book is divided into two sections: A chronology of events and a Personnel File, in which officers of every Brigade, every Battalion, and every Company are listed. Not only are the men’s names listed but their native place and ranking within the IRA unit are detailed. The 50 page triple-column index is a treasure trove of information about who was who in County Mayo during that turbulent time.