From the master storyteller behind the critically acclaimed Killing Thatcher comes an extraordinary and gripping new story of a rogue consul who sought to forge a new nation in the middle of a war. In A Rebel and a Traitor (HarperCollins), author and journalist Rory Carroll shines a brilliant light on the story of decorated diplomat Sir Roger Casement who turned his back on the British empire and instead joined the rising Irish cause at the turn of the 20th century. At the book’s centre is the manhunt for Casement led by intelligence officer Reginald ‘Blinker’ Hall, the legendary British spy chief who pioneered codebreaking, early mass surveillance and media manipulation. Drawing thoroughly from numerous and diverse records, Carroll brings us a page-turning story, from a pivotal moment in Anglo-Irish history, that raises profound questions about honour, courage and the price of patriotism. Join us for a captivating evening of conversation, where Rory delves into his new book with journalist and author Ronan McGreevy.

Rory Carroll, currently the Guardian’s Ireland correspondent, has spent most of his career as a foreign correspondent based in Rome, Johannesburg, Baghdad, Caracas and Los Angeles. His first book, Comandante: Hugo Chavez’s Venezuela, was published in 2013. Since returning to his native Dublin in 2018 he has covered Ireland’s tangled relationship with Britain and the legacy of Northern Ireland’s Troubles – a fascination with history and narrative non-fiction that led to Killing Thatcher and now A Rebel and a Traitor.

Ronan McGreevy is an Irish Times journalist and the author of several books including Wherever the Firing Line Extends: Ireland and the Western Front and Great Hatred: The Assassination of Field Marshal Sir Henry Wilson MP. He recently appeared as a guest on The Rest is History podcast. He is a First World War tour guide with GTI Travel and was made a Chevalier de arts et lettres by the French government in 2018.

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