James Stephens was an early 20th century Irish poet and writer. His humor and lyric writing style are a wonderful addition to the retelling of Irish fairytales. His novels A Crock of Gold and Etched in Moonlight are also based on Irish fairytales. The Insurrection in Dublin tells the effects of the 1916 Easter Rising on the average person in Dublin. The author recounts walking to a corner one morning and seeing the crowd of people looking in one direction. They tell him that the Sinn Fein had taken over parts of the city. The book is not political. It is the observations of one man during the uprising. He notes the first reaction is one of shock and anger. As the days pass people begin to smile with pride at the work of their countrymen. Irish nationalism is a strong emotion. The viewpoint of the author gives this historic book a unique vantage point.