Brian Cowen: Anatomy of a Taoiseach

An insightful, searing and clear-eyed account of Taoiseach Brian Cowen and his time as leader of the country during Ireland's greatest crisisFrom the author of the bestselling Haughey, Gary Murphy returns with a major reassessment of Ireland's most turbulent political era. In this richly textured account of Brian Cowen's inexorable rise to the office of Taoiseach and his dramatic fall, Murphy offers a ground-breaking portrait of a man and an era that defined modern Ireland. This rigorously researched study examines the decisions, pressures and circumstances that shaped Brian Cowen's 1,036 days as Taoiseach, a period that coincided with the collapse of Ireland's banking system and the state's entry into an EU-IMF programme. Drawing on extensive interviews, documentation and contemporaneous accounts, Murphy explores the context surrounding the bank guarantee, the loss of economic autonomy and the path that led to external intervention. Balanced, detailed and accessible, this book offers a comprehensive analysis of how government, institutions and global forces interacted during a crisis that transformed modern Ireland.

• Publication date: 17 September 2026
• Page count: 400
• Dimensions: Height 242 mm; Width 163 mm; Thickness 36 mm
• Publisher: Bonnier Books Ltd
• Format: Hardback
• ISBN-13: 9781804186800