Nick Maxwell The escalating tensions that led to this split have been much rehearsed by historians, especially those dealing with de Valera’s prolonged visit to the United States from June 1919 to October 1920. Conflicts took place between the two men on a number of issues, ranging from Irish policy towards the League of Nations to how … Read more
It’s a Long Way to Tipperary—An Irish Story of the Great War follows the daily lives of a single family from July 1914 to December 1918 through weekly posts of diary extracts, letters, photographs and other wartime memorabilia. The posts are based on documents accumulated by the Armstrong family of Moyaliffe Castle, Co. Tipperary. This … Read more
The Armstrong collection also provides a unique insight into life on the home front, which was no easier than life in the trenches. Mrs Armstrong and her three daughters, who spent most of the war years in Folkestone in Kent in order to be geographically as close to Pat as possible, came face to face … Read more
The weekly posts are primarily based on the letters and diaries of Captain William Maurice ‘Pat’ Armstrong, which provide first-hand accounts of events as they unfolded in the various theatres of war, and the diaries of his sister Jess and mother Rosalie, which illuminate civilian life during the conflict. Pat Armstrong was the son of … Read more
The regular units of the British Army were unable to meet the demands of the war. New divisions of volunteers were raised in 1914, including three Irish divisions—the 10th (Irish), 36th (Ulster) and 16th (Irish). It was, however, two battalions of Irish regulars who were chosen to be part of the hazardous first landing at … Read more