Elected in 1900 at 27 years of age as a Home Rule MP to Westminster, and as a Sinn Féin TD to the first Dail in 1919, James O'Mara is one of only a few people to have served in both the Irish and British Parliaments. He was a central participant in a defining period of Irish history. He was a friend of Michael Collins, Harry Boland and William Cosgrave. He was a Trustee of Dail Eireann, and travelled to America with De Valera to promote the Bond Drive. Born into a well known Limerick family, James O'Mara's contribution to the founding of the Irish State is substantial, and yet he didn't become the household name that was afforded to some of his contemporaries. This biography does justice to a great Irishman; it is an enthralling record of his participation in the creation of Ireland as an independent country.