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Product Description
Cal McCarthy is a Cork based historian and civil servant. This new book, published by Clonakilty based Michael Collins House Museum with finacial aid also from Cork County Council, takes a detailed look at the legacy and impact of Michael Collins after his death - his role in popular culture, his portrayal in media and print culture.
Paperback, 374 pages (full colour 130 gsm silk). Densely illustrated throughout with 78 images some b&w, some colour.
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Michael Collins
Michael Collins House to launch its first Michael Collins book
August 19th, 2025 3:06 PM
By
Southern Star Team
Michael Collins House to launch its first Michael Collins book Image
'In the Shadow of the Big Fellow' Book to Launch in Michael Collins House Museum on 22nd August 2025.
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MICHAEL Collins House Museum in Clonakilty is to launch its first major publication, 'In the Shadow of the Big Fellow: The Commemoration, Commercialisation, Study, and Politicisation of Michael Collins 1922-2022.'
This thought-provoking new book, written by acclaimed author and Michael Collins House historian Cal McCarthy, explores the complex and evolving legacy of one of Ireland’s most iconic figures.
Over one hundred years after his death in 1922, Michael Collins, affectionately known as 'The Big Fellow', continues to captivate public imagination and scholarly debate alike.
In this meticulously researched book, Cal McCarthy delves into how Collins has been remembered, commemorated, mythologised, and at times contested over the past century.
Through a careful analysis of political discourse, public memorialisation, literature, film, and popular culture, McCarthy offers readers a nuanced portrait of a legacy still shaping national identity.
Cork County Mayor Cllr Mary Linehan Foley said: 'Michael Collins was not only a towering figure in his own time, but he has also loomed large over Irish political and cultural life ever since. This book aims to explore how different generations have interpreted his life, his role in Irish independence, and what he has come to symbolise for Ireland today.'
'In the Shadow of the Big Fellow' is the first major publication from Michael Collins House Museum and builds on the museum’s existing content to help increase public understanding of Ireland’s revolutionary past in an accessible manner.
SIGNED BY THE AUTHOR TO THE TITLE PAGE
