Painful memories of quarrel with the foe on Remembrance Sunday

Britain and Ireland both see the poppy as a symbol of remembrance. The problem is that it makes Ireland remember things Britain would rather forget, writes Shaun Connolly

On the eve of Remembrance Sunday tomorrow British cities and towns are a sea of red as the flower, representing the blood sacrifice of two world wars and all the other conflicts of the past century, is everywhere.

Despite 50,000 Irishmen giving their lives in the First World War, and an unknown number volunteering to fight the Nazis in the Second World War, many Irish people feel unable to wear the flower for fear it will also honour British soldiers responsible for everything from the burning of Cork to Bloody Sunday and beyond.