Young soldiers of WWI deserve recognition for the sacrifices they made
In Ireland, of course, someone somewhere will inevitably attempt to complicate matters by playing either the green or the orange card. And that too represents what Wilfred Owen, in a different context, called “the pity of war”. James Connolly, Emmet Dalton, Tom Barry and my maternal grandfather all shared the common experience of wearing the uniform of the British Army at some stage. While I cannot with any certainty vouch for my grandfather, the others also played a significant role in the realisation of their country’s independence.
In Fermoy and the surrounding villages, between 1914-18, many young Irishmen also donned the uniform of the army of the British empire and went off to fight for what they were assured was the defence of small nations.
