Irish women were well placed to adapt quickly and efficiently to the challenges initiated by Britain’s declaration of war against Germany in August 1914. The country’s existing network of philanthropic and political organisations provided a firm foundation for a wide variety of voluntary war work, and they were quickly bolstered by a raft of new … Read more
Eight infantry regiments of the British Army recruited in Ireland, each of which maintained a peacetime complement of two ‘active’ battalions and at least one battalion of reservists. The exception to this rule was the London-based Irish Guards regiment, which only retained a single battalion of choice troops. As the fundamental tactical unit of the … Read more
By 1911 European governments were eyeing each other with suspicion but, for the time being, social and commercial life went on. This included an international exhibition in Ghent, Belgium. On his return from Germany earlier in the year, Dubliner Captain J.A.F. Cuffe of the Royal Marine Light Infantry, now fluent in German and French, was … Read more
Monday 25 November marks the centenary of the foundation of the Irish Volunteers: an organization that remains strangely neglected by historians. There are a couple of articles on the Volunteers in the current issue of History Ireland, but a quick glance through our back catalogue didn’t turn up much. We have some very good articles … Read more
On 24 October 1913 Jack White organised a pro-Home Rule rally in Ballymoney, Co. Antrim, aimed at rallying Ulster Protestants who supported Home Rule. While support for nationalism and unionism was usually intertwined with confessional affiliation – nationalists tended to be Catholic, unionists tended to be Protestant – there had always been a small minority … Read more