Kevin Rafter has written best-selling and acclaimed biographies and histories of key political parties, and has co-edited The Irish Presidency. His most recent books Dillon Rediscovered and Taoiseach and the Arts have been described as ‘vivid, compelling’ (Sunday Times), ‘breaking new ground’ (Irish Times) and ‘gripping history’ (Irish Independent). A former leading political journalist, he is Full Professor of Political Communication at Dublin City University, was a Fulbright Scholar at Boston College and has chaired the boards of the main national arts organisations in Ireland.

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• Introduction Part 1              Vincent Browne – October 1977 to December 1982‘What about Browne’s Periodical?’‘I collected the gun’‘A damn good mag.’‘If the magazine looks a mite disorganised’‘Stepping Back From the Brink’‘Ad hoc distribution arrangements’‘Tip-toeing past Browne’s office’‘He is a Fine Gael Provo’‘How Haughey cooked the books’ Part 2              Colm Toíbín – January 1983 to March 1985 ‘The best job in town’‘The occasional Travolta surge’‘She has a heart of gold’‘Somone with a lot of courage‘Sexual shenanigans on a boat off the Isle of Man’ Part 3              Fintan O’Toole – October 1985 to September 1986 ‘Give a new impetus to the magazine’‘Got two legends into one room’‘The judge got it wrong’‘One wrong move and we will pounce’‘The Ascent into Hell’ Part 4              Brian Trench – January 1987 to January 1988 ‘Struggling to survive’‘Leave or I’ll ring the gardaí’‘A platform for your ill-considered views’‘Nothing to do with planting bombs’‘Another hatchet job you want to do on me’ Part 5              John Waters, February 1988 to October 1988 ‘Down to the last hero’‘Joker in the Pack’‘Deputy Seán Doherty, casually dressed’‘Martin Cahill remains an enigma’‘The offices were a shambles’ Part 6              Vincent Browne – November 1988 to July 1990 ‘And Now The End Is Near’‘The AIDS Diary’‘He made me a millionaire’‘A million plates spinning at the same time’ Epilogue  BibliographyAcknowledgementsIndex