Liam Lynch, Chief-of-Staff of the IRA, was known as 'The Chief' among Republicans, particularly in the First Southern Division. Many of his comrades have wondered why he did not get the recognition he deserved, even though he had been offered the position of Commander-in-Chief of the army in December 1921. Some felt that in the documentation of history, de Valera overshadowed him, while others thought that because of the firm stand he took in holding out for a republic, his deeds of bravery, especially before the Civil War, were downgraded. This is his story.

With the aid of Liam Lynch's personal letters, private documents and historical records, The Real Chief traces the turbulent career of one of Ireland's greatest guerilla commanders from his birth in 1893 until his death twenty-nine years later in the civil war when he was killed in action on the Knockmealdown mountains.This book demonstrates Liam Lynch's importance in Irish history, including his efforts with Michael Collins, Richard Mulcahy and others to avoid a civil war, and his unwavering efforts to achieve a thirty-two county republic, rather than a partitioned state.Meda Ryan is a native of Bandon in West Cork and now lives in Ennis, Co. Clare. Her published books include: Michael Collins and the Women who Spied for Ireland, The Day Michael Collins was Shot, and the controversial biography, Tom Barry, IRA Freedom Fighter.