A serious, revisionist history of the most notorious court case in postwar Irish history. The arms crisis of 1970 came about when two Irish cabinet ministers, Charles Haughey and Neil Blaney, alongside an army officer and other figures, were accused by Taoiseach Jack Lynch of smuggling arms to the IRA in Northern Ireland.

The number one Irish Times bestseller In 1970, Taoiseach Jack Lynch accused two cabinet ministers, Charles Haughey and Neil Blaney, of smuggling arms to the IRA in Northern Ireland. The criminal prosecution that followed was a cause célèbre at the time. All the accused were acquitted, but it generated a political crisis that would be one of the major events of modern Irish history. In the fifty years since, myth and controversy has surrounded the trial and its aftermath. Michael Heney has unearthed astonishing new evidence, raising serious questions about Lynch and his relationship with Haughey. The Arms Crisis of 1970 is the first comprehensive investigation into the arms trial prosecution, and how the jury came to their verdict of acquittal. Reviews: 'An indisputable, forensic interpretation of the events of 1970... Impressive for its methodology, and is indispensable for anyone interested in what actually happened 50 years ago' Colm Tóibín, Irish Times, Books of the Year 'Persuasive... A real life whodunnit written with the pace and drama of a political thriller' Eilis O'Hanlon, Irish Independent 'Heney strips away the lies associated with the great Irish scandal of 1970... A ground-breaking book' Diarmaid Ferriter 'Brilliant de-bunking of the myths, heroes and villains of the Arms Crisis' Mary O'Rourke, Sunday Independent

"Heney's book is a reminder of how a version of the frictions that led to splits in Sinn Féin and the foundation of Fianna Fáil in the 1920s surfaced again in the late 1960s and early 1970s" - RTÉ

"Michael Heney, a former RTÉ journalist who has spent the 50 years since the Arms Crisis considering it more deeply, has written a fascinating and thoroughly researched book about this episode and found new evidence" - The Times

"As a former journalist with RTÉ for over 40 years, Heney knows how to tell a story and keep an audience hooked... It's written with the pace and drama of a political thriller, with characters that you just couldn't invent'" - Irish Independent

"Heney tracks these key players' movements like pieces on a chess board, constantly asking the fundamental questions of who knew what and when... Heney's detective skills deserve great respect and he has written an undeniably important book'" - Sunday Business Post

"An indisputable, forensic interpretation of the events of 1970... Heney's book is impressive for its methodology, and is indispensable for anyone interested in what actually happened 50 years ago'" - Irish Times.