Over 200,000 men from the island of Ireland served in the British military during the First World War. Around 35,000 lost their lives.

Those who returned found that commemoration of their service was controversial in a way that it was not in Britain. Some of them became involved in a new conflict, fighting against the British in the War of Independence.

Drawing on new research, Richard Grayson will examine a range of aspects of Irish service in the war, from the high-profile involvement at Gallipoli, the Somme, Messines and Passchendaele to the often-neglected service of regular soldiers in 1914-15. He will also explore aspects of the post-war lives of soldiers and consider how the war has been remembered and commemorated.

Richard Grayson is Professor of 20th Century History and Head of History at Goldsmiths, University of London. He is the author of Belfast Boys: How Unionists and Nationalists Fought and Died Together in the First World War (2009) and Dublin’s Great Wars: The First World War, the Easter Rising and the Irish Revolution (2018). He works closely with schools, community groups, archives, museums and the media on historical and remembrance projects.

Irish Soldiers of the First World War