An Cosantóir

An Cosantóir July/August 2014 www.dfmagazine.ie 30 | T he laws restricting Catholics from enlisting in the British army were relaxed in the 1700s, thus encouraging thou- sands of Irishmen to join regiments stationed in Ireland. From 1700 to the end of World War One, it is estimated that two million Irishmen died fighting 'for King and country'. Men enlisted for different reasons, adventure, the chance to travel, the opportunity for advancement and promotion, or to es- cape economic hardship; reasons that for those involved often outweighed the dangers of being killed in battle or taken by disease in places far from Ireland. At the battle of Waterloo in 1815 it is estimated that half of those fighting for the British army were Irish born, recruited locally through the many barracks in the country into regi- ments whose identity and traditions mainly originated in England, Scotland or Wales. While some regiments, such as the 88th Regiment of Foot (Connaught Rangers) had a history of Irish recruits, it was only after a series of military reforms in 1881 that a number of local Irish regiments were formed. These included the Royal Dublin Fusiliers, the Munster Fusiliers, and the Connaught Rangers (formed from the amalgamation of the 88th and 94th Regiments of Foot). Later units included the Irish Guards (1900), and the North Irish Horse (1901). Irish soldiers served in garrisons in Canada, India, South Africa and various other outposts of the British Empire as increasing numbers of troops were required to maintain Britain's distant colonies. When Queen Victoria visited Ireland in 1900, 40% of the British army consisted of Irish recruits. However, towards the end of the 19th century the proportion of Irishmen enlisting slowly dropped. Emigration to America had increased and growing nationalism, epitomised by the founding of the GAA (1884) and the Gaelic League (1893), made service in the British army less attractive. Except for the occasional outburst of violence, Ireland had enjoyed a period of relative political tranquillity in the first few decades after the Famine. The rise in Irish nationalism and the quest for Home Rule became the main political aim for many. Irish nationalists fell into two general categories, constitutional nationalists, who advocated achieving Home Rule through peaceful means, and revolutionary nationalists, who supported groups such as the Fenian Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB). After a failed rising in 1867 and an unsuccessful bombing campaign in England, Fenianism gained popular support for a short period. However, public opinion gradually drifted away and turned to constitutional nationalism, which was begin- ning to gain momentum through the Irish Parliamentary Party, led by Charles Stewart Parnell. Dedicated to achieving Home A CALL TO ARMS By PAuL O'BRIEN

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