Irish Regiments in the World Wars

Description

For nearly 250 years, Irish soldiers made up a significant minority of the British Army. In 1914-18, despite the rising movement for Irish independence, more than 200,000 Irishmen volunteered, and won an imperishable reputation. Although independent Eire remained neutral in World War II, more than 40,000 volunteers from the South joined forces from Ulster to serve in the British forces. This book places the records of such heroic names as the Inniskillings, the Munsters, the Dublin Fusiliers and the Royal Irish Rifles in the context of the World Wars, and illustrates a selection of their uniforms and insignia.

Dr David Murphy was born in Dublin in 1968 and is a graduate of both University College Dublin and Trinity College Dublin. He is a contributor to the Dictionary of Irish Biography, and has published two books and numerous articles; in the course of his research he has visited many of the battlefields associated with famous Irish units, on three continents. He is currently compiling a gazetteer of Irish regiments for the Military Heritage Trust of Ireland. Gerry Embleton has been a leading illustrator and researcher of historical costume since the 1970s, and has illustrated and written Osprey titles on a wide range of subjects over more than 20 years. He is an internationally respected authority on 15th and 18th century costumes in particular. He lives in Switzerland, where since 1988 he has also become well known for designing and creating life-size historical figures for museums.

"This focus on Irish regiments of the two wars includes a healthy dose of Irish history and culture in addition to military history: as such it offers a smooth survey of Irish heroes and participations." --Midwest Book Review