Sinn Féin Bookshop

I am more than disgusted with the Sinn Féin bookstore as 5 weeks ago I ordered two ‘Revolution in Ireland’ Tshirts and have not gotten them yet. I grew up in Ireland (live in America now) but I know the times to phone, codes etc and I keep phoning but nobody ever answers the phone, I’ve emailed but nobody responds but they had no problem taking the money out of my account and charging me the change of currency charge. My two sons were so looking forward to these TShirts but apparently Sinn Féin doesn’t like to process orders so who knows when they’ll come and I’m out about $ 35. I’m so bloody disgusted and will NEVER order anything again from Sinn Féin EVER!

Don’t buy anything online from outside Ireland. They showed me a price in dollars then switched it to a higher price in Euros. No reply to my email or via their form. The picture I bought was bright on the sales page, but in reality it’s too dark to see. I feel cheated. BEWARE!

I honestly couldn’t be more pleased with my purchase from this store. I asked a question via e-​mail and got a response within a few hours. I placed my order and I’m in the states mind you, and got it in a week! I was surprised how quickly everything came through from them. The quality of the items I purchased is excellent, the price was right and the service was on point. I would most certainly purchase from them again.

If your a republican (i mean an Irish republican) and a strong believer of the 32 counties being united you will love this shop. For such a small space there is so much republican stuff packed in. You can get books and flags and t shirts and music and tin whistles and CD’s and Pictures and posters and badges and books to help you learn how to speak Irish and anything you think that would help you along in your quest to be as nationalist as you can be.
I think its quite an interesting shop actually it really does help in understanding what is going on in our divided country and it reminds you that really the country is still divided. I agree with Laura and Kelly when they point out that the material in the shop is probably quite biased but it also shows you the enthusiasm and the belief that people have in this subject.

Admittedly, this shop is filled with Republican paraphernalia and material that can only minimally be described as one-​sided. However, it is also a treasure trove for any historian who is looking for material on aspects of Irish history that isn’t covered in the more mainstream bookstores.
As a nerdy historian, I’m looking at 1920s Ireland and there are quite a few topics that are taboo still, i.e. aspects of the Civil War like Executions, and thus are quite difficult to find relevant material on. I was looking for specific material on a certain execution and I was glad to find that the Sinn Féin Bookshop carried an entire book on the topic. Now word to the wise any material found in the shop should only be used as a starting off point, as most of the material is very skewed in its view and if you’re looking at a more well rounded history you mightn’t find it here.

One of those places that you’re never sure just how much dissident republican activity you’re actually supporting by going there, the Sinn Féin Bookshop is still worth a peek if you’re interested in the history of the republican struggle for a united Ireland. Don’t expect the merchandise to be unbiased, because it’s as biased as you’ll get. People such as Bobby Sands are eulogised, and the tricolour is everywhere.
It is, however, good to get some of the more obscure books on the freedom struggle, as Sinn Féin have adopted many of history’s main actors as their own, however tenuous the link.
A word of advice though… you will feel intimidated walking in here and you’ll end up walking on eggshells. But there’s no need, it’s a political party these days, no more…

Whether you’ve an interest in Irish politics or are even simply looking for a far more thought provoking memento of real Ireland than a branch of Carrolls can provide, this in an excellent bookshop to visit.
This bookshop is particularly worth a visit as a starting point for one of the most dramatic & moving walking tours that you’re ever likely to go on. (Seperate review of that, at end of this one).
A good choice of books, from the scholarly to the more popularist, many of which you’d have difficulty sourcing elsewhere, covering the whole history of the Irish struggle for freedom, or Saoirse, (pronounced seer-​sha). If you’ve seen the excellent film Hunger, and want to find out more, or if you’d just like to find out just what modern day Sinn Féin is all about this is highly recommended.
There are some fantastic mementos of particularly the 1916 Easter rising, everything from T-​shirts, CD & DVD’s to jewelry, badges & replica medals.
I was particularly struck by the paintings of artist John Conway depicting the events of that famous Easter Monday, available to buy either as postcards, or poster-​sized, or framed prints.
With friendly & approachable staff, it has favourably a distinctly non political bookshop feel to it, which you will know if you’ve been in any political organizations bookshop throughout the world, just how dull & uninspiring they can often appear!
THE REBEL WALKING TOUR.
(Daily except Sunday, 11.30am. € 5. No advance booking required)
This is a truly excellent walk, of around 90 minutes, and is made even more powerful by the personable & highly knowledgeable guide Pat’s relaxed manner & refreshing lack of showy presentation. He let the true individual human stories of the struggle for Irish freedom speak for themselves.
Even the familiar events of Easter 1916 are given renewed poignancy when you follow in the footsteps of Michael O’Rahilly’s charge down Moore Street to the tiny backstreet where he collapsed in a hail of machine gun bullets, writing a dying note of love to his wife Nancy. But you don’t go far out of the bookshop to find the real life drama brought alive. How many visitors to Parnell Square would be aware of just how many buildings around this central Dublin georgian square played host to the main protagonists in events from 1916 through to the war of independence and the civil war beyond. Notably the site of the former Vaughan’s hotel, once a sanctuary for Michael Collins.
An incredibly moving experience not just for those who are interested in Irish history and politics, but also for anyone who needs proof that this comparatively recent history is very much alive in the paving stones & bricks of ever changing Dublin.
I couldn’t speak for half an hour at the end of this walk, no better recommendation.