by Neasa MacErlean
COMING 23 JUNE: The biography of the pioneering Irish historian, Robert Dudley Edwards, written by his grand-daughter, the journalist Neasa MacErlean.
How Robert Dudley Edwards changed Irish history forever
The intellectual revolution that spread internationally after World War II in the study of history manifested early in Ireland: two young historians had begun switching direction in 1938, moving from a history brewed of myth and legend into one based on fact and analysis. Robert Dudley Edwards — later Professor of Modern Irish History at University College Dublin for 35 years, iconoclast and controversial public figure — was one of them, and this book tells his story.
Dudley’s grand-daughter, Neasa MacErlean, has written one of the first ever biographies of an Irish historian, linking the famous wild figure to the scarred and reflective man behind.
Publication: 23 June 2025
Dudley was like no other professor I had ever met.
Professor Art Cosgrove, UCD President
He didn’t want agreement. He wanted people to disagree. Naturally he divided opinion both during
his lifetime and after his death.
An excellent book which captures the man in his majesty and frailty— and also the age
Professor Declan Kiberd, University of Notre Dame Dublin
A compelling and riveting biography
Stephen Collins, Irish Times
and description of the way the study of Irish history was transformed.
By adroit use of extensive personal interviews,
Professor Ciaran Brady, Trinity
the author builds a fascinating collage that captures the charismatic, complex and mercurial character of her subject
Interview with Neasa
As a ten minute taster, here is historian Dr Pádraig Lenihan from the University of Galway interviewing Neasa on her YouTube channel:
Media, launch and events
Telling The Truth Is Dangerous will be available through all good bookshops from 23 June 2025. Watch this space. Click below for updates.
