An Cosantóir

www.military.ie the defence forces magazine | 11 Many Irish people supported the war effort from the outset; money was raised for munitions and food produc- tion for the army increased. Although Dublin didn't have any existing munitions industries, some factories would later alter their tooling in order to manufacture shells and other munitions. Thousands of young Irishmen had answered the call and joined the ranks of the British Army. Barracks and recruiting offices throughout the country processed a continual stream of recruits. Some joined for the money, others for adventure, hoping the war would not be over before their deployment. Major General Sir Lovick Bransby Friend commanded the British Army in Ireland in 1914. A former instructor at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, Friend was a veteran of the Battle of Omdurman in the Sudan, and also held a rank in the Egyptian Army. By 31st May 1915, the British Army had suffered 258,069 casualties, an average of 860 casualties a day, almost half of whom were listed as killed-in-action or missing-in-action and therefore not available to return to the frontline. In response to these losses, Britain introduced conscrip- tion in January 1916, although it didn't extend to Ireland. However, this led to an increase in the ranks of nationalist organisations in Ireland, where the threat of conscription being implemented shrouded the country. As the funeral of the revered old Fenian, Jeremiah O' Do- navan Rossa was taking place in Dublin, troops of the 10th Irish Division were preparing to land in Gallipoli, where, a week later, soldiers of the Royal Dublin Fusiliers would face Turkish machine-gun, rifle and artillery fire as they stormed the beaches, suffering heavy casualties in the process. In Ireland, the Irish Citizen Army and the Irish Volunteers paraded openly in the streets, uniformed and armed; a show of strength by those wanting independence from Britain. The leadership of both groups were to unite in the early months of 1916 as planning for an insurrection gath- ered pace among a group of committed republicans op- erating covertly within the Irish Volunteers. Police reports identified prominent republicans and the threat they posed to the stability of the country, but these reports went un- checked; the British administration in Ireland not realizing the threat posed to the country. Stalemate on the Western Front, the failure of the Gal- lipoli campaign, the mounting casualties, and the threat of conscription, did not go unnoticed by those seeking Irish in- dependence through armed insurrection. Well versed in the old Fenian dogma that 'England's difficulty was Ireland's opportunity', the group actively planning rebellion believed that the time was ripe for action and they targeted Easter 1916 for a military strike by the Irish Volunteers. The fuse had been lit... about the author: Paul O'Brien is an Irish historian and author. He has published six books on the battles of 1916 and one on the Curragh Mutiny of 1914. Some examples are: Blood on the Streets, 1916 and the Battle for Mount Street Bridge and Uncommon Valour, 1916 and the Battle for South Dublin Union. He is a regular contributor to An Cosantóir. Paul also holds an MA in History and you can contact him at www.paulobrienauthor.ie The 7th Battalion of the Royal Dublin Fusiliers preparing to leave Royal Barracks Dublin for the 'front' in May 1915. Photo: National Museum of Ireland 'No Home Rule!' Leeds unionists publicising their opposition to Home Rule in the lead up to the two by-elections 1914. Photo: Irish Life/National Museum of Ireland British Government proclamation announcing the declaration of Martial Law, 26th May 1916. Photo: Imperial War Museums/South Dublin Libraries Ulster Volunteer Force poster from 24th February 1914.

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