Dublin's Great Wars: The First World War, the Easter Rising and the Irish Revolution

by Richard S. Grayson

For the first time, Richard S. Grayson tells the story of the Dubliners who served in the British military and in republican forces during the First World War and the Irish Revolution as a series of interconnected 'Great Wars'. He charts the full scope of Dubliners' military service, far beyond the well-known Dublin 'Pals', with as many as 35,000 serving and over 6,500 dead, from the Irish Sea to the Middle East and beyond. Linking two conflicts usually narrated as separate stories, he shows how Irish nationalist support for Britain going to war in 1914 can only be understood in the context of the political fight for Home Rule and why so many Dubliners were hostile to the Easter Rising. He examines Dublin loyalism and how the War of Independence and the Civil War would be shaped by the militarisation of Irish society and the earlier experiences of veterans of the British army.

Genres: History, Irish Literature, Ireland

484 pages, Hardcover

First published October 31, 2018

Reviews

[Mary Monro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Do you find 20th century Irish history dauntingly complicated and puzzling? Then this is the book for you. It traces the developing militarisation of the republican struggle from the Boer war to the first world war and beyond into the civil war. Parallel histories of Dubliners’ involvement in WWI and the fight for independence show how closely connected these events were. The kaleidoscope of views about independence, from British-home rule-nationalist-republican resolves into a comprehensible picture. Well written and with a mix of personal stories and in-depth research, this is an enjoyable and satisfying read.