Author Ronan McGreevy draws on rare recordings to reveal the defining legacy of Seán Lemass

A newly published memoir of Seán Lemass is already making waves, with author Ronan McGreevy revealing that early doubts about the book’s success have quickly been proven wrong.

“It sold about 150 on the first day,” McGreevy said. “With non-fiction, it’s all about the subject. If people are interested, they’ll buy it.”

The book, Seán Lemass: The Lost Memoir, reached number five in the non-fiction charts within days of release, selling strongly from the outset. Unlike previous works on the former Taoiseach, the book is based largely on Lemass’s own voice, drawn from 22 hours of recorded interviews.

“This isn’t just another biography,” McGreevy explained. “It’s his own political memoir.” The material, originally unstructured, was carefully shaped into a coherent narrative. “He would mention so many different people and you wouldn’t know who they were,” he said. “So I structured it chronologically, from when he entered politics in 1923 through to 1966.”

Of the book’s 120,000 words, around 90,000 belong to Lemass himself. “It’s really his book rather than mine,” McGreevy added.

Revolution, tragedy and untold stories

The memoir revisits Lemass’s early life, including his role in the Easter Rising as a teenager and his involvement in the War of Independence and Civil War.

It also sheds light on deeply personal events that remained hidden for decades. One of the most striking revelations is that Lemass accidentally shot and killed his infant brother in 1916 — a tragedy that remained largely unknown until recent years.

“It completely disappeared from the public consciousness,” McGreevy said. “Even members of his own family didn’t know about it until 2013.”

The book also presents new evidence linking Lemass to the killing of a British agent during Bloody Sunday. “It had been rumoured over the years,” he said, “but I think I’ve proved definitively that he was involved.”

From hardline republican to state leader

Despite his revolutionary beginnings, McGreevy said Lemass emerges as a pragmatic and forward-thinking leader.

“He comes across as an incredibly intelligent guy — wise, funny, and very serious-minded,” he said. Lemass, he added, understood both politics and people. “He knew how politics worked and how people worked.”

The memoir also highlights his evolution from militant republicanism to democratic leadership. “He learned the hard way that you can’t have two governments or two armies,” McGreevy said. “You can only have one authority in the state.”

Lessons that still resonate today

According to McGreevy, the book offers insights that remain strikingly relevant. “It doesn’t read like something written 60 years ago,” he said. “It reads like something that could have been written now.”

He pointed to Lemass’s views on international relations, including his caution about relying too heavily on the United States. “He said you have to remember that when you’re dealing with an American president — even if that person is an idiot — he’s the most powerful man in the world,” McGreevy said.

A leader who reshaped Ireland

McGreevy believes Lemass’s greatest achievement was restoring confidence in Ireland during a difficult period marked by mass emigration.

“There were people who thought we couldn’t make a go of independence,” he said. “He proved that we could.” At a time when hundreds of thousands were leaving the country, Lemass offered a different vision.

“He had a vision for a better Ireland and he galvanised the country into believing in it,” McGreevy said. “I think we were extremely lucky to have him when we did.”