Three Irish brothers who died fighting for the Canadians in World War Two are to be commemorated in a special ceremony in Belgium today and plans are being drawn up to build a monument to them in their birthplace in Co Cork.

While Ireland was officially neutral in the Second World War, thousands of Irishmen fought against fascism by serving in the British, American, and Canadian armies, including on Normandy’s beaches, says Sean O’Riordan

Some descendants of those who served with the US Navy based in Cork during the First World War gathered in Cobh yesterday, along with a number of American military personnel, to commemorate the centenary of their arrival there on May 4, 1917.