The Next One Is For You, a new book by New York Times reporter Ali Watkins, reveals a conspiracy to smuggle weapons from Philadelphia to the Irish Republican Army, writes Kristin Hunt for PhillyVoice.
Watkins got the idea for the book after she decided to learn more about her great-grandfather, who immigrated from Northern Ireland to Philadelphia in 1922 under suspicious circumstances.
Her family suspected he had to flee due to his involvement with the IRA, but most of this was just guesswork. Watkins decided to start investigating, including looking for more information from the robust Irish American community in the city.
One day, she uncovered something unexpected: a 1975 federal case involving five local men accused of smuggling guns to the IRA during the most violent period of the three-decade conflict, which claimed thousands of lives.
Intrigued, she dug deeper into the case and presented her findings in her debut book that was released last week.
The Next One Is For You traces the path of a rifle that found its way from Philadelphia to a teenage IRA volunteer who eventually used it.
Read more about the book that reveals the conspiracy and how the author’s personal anecdote led to her writing the book in PhillyVoice.
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