Ireland and the First World War

Imperial Nationalism of Minority Soldiers. Italian-Speaking Tyroleans and Irishmen in the First World War

“…The 36th (Ulster) Division comprised mainly Ulster Volunteer Force members, including Protestant unionists in the British Army. 25 The 10th (Irish) Division consisted of Irish and Irish-born recruits from the United Kingdom, while the 16th (Irish) Division comprised 98% of Catholic Irish, overwhelmingly members of the Catholic National Volunteers. Thus, highly politicised, almost none of these Irish was made to be officers, reflecting the 'stigma of questionable loyalty' 26 expressed from the outset.…”

“…138 It was only towards the war's end that the disbanding of entire Irish regiments led to the final disintegration of minority soldiers, as Timothy Bowman pointed out, a peculiarity of their wartime experience in the British Army. 139 Until then, most Irish remained somehow integrated in imperial nationalism through their regiments, 140 although the developments upset and unsettled many. 141 After all, they repeatedly saw their loyalty -especially on the part of the loyalty taker -unfairly put to the test.…”

Five-Foot-Five Nation: Size, Wales and the Great War

“…It is especially noticeable in the greater emphasis placed on the participation of Ulster during the Great War compared to the rest of Ireland. 81 The lack of a regiment of Welsh Guards contributed to a feeling that Wales was once again being overlooked. This sense that other nations were well ahead of 'poor little Wales' was also felt by those who attempted to form Welsh regiments based in English cities where Scottish and Irish equivalents were already in existence.…”