This is an illustrated collection of essays by leading historians on how the Great War affected Ireland. It finally provides an Irish perspective on the Great War of 1914-18 which, as has often been forgotten, saw over 200,000 Irish soldiers enlist in the British Army and over 30,000 lose their lives. It relays the experience of ordinary Irish people during the conflict and chronicles the devastating impact this war had, and still has, on Irish society. The lives and deaths of soldiers in the trenches, volunteer nurses, women, politicians and the workforce are all carefully considered. Archival letters, diaries, wills and drawings, advertisements and photographs are reproduced in this sparkling colour volume that documents the pride, fear, anxiety and sorrow felt by soldiers, nurses, sweethearts, families and friends.
Listen to the Thomas Davis Lecture series podcast that accompanies the book.
Our War, our history. Introductory lecture by John Horne
Going to war by Catriona Pennell
Soldiers of the Great War by Phillip Orr
The politics of war by Paul Bew
The survivors of war by Jane Leonard
War, work and Irish Labour by Niamh Puirséil
Fewer ladies, more women by Caitriona Clear
Homefront and everyday life by David Fitzpatrick
The Great War and Irish literature by Terence Brown
The cultural legacy of the Great War by Keith Jeffery
