The Irish standard., 1919-01-25
HOW IREL AND IS LIBELLED
(From The New Statesman, London,
Nov. 1881

(From The New Statesman, London,
Nov. 1881
Ireland's record in the war has
been, from the point of view of the
Allies, magnificent. The magnificence
of the Irish contribution to the cause
of freedom has been only less amaz-
ing than the flood of calumny and be-
littlement that has been consistently
poured on it ever since August, 1914
Ireland has made a greater voluntary
contribution of men to the Allied
forces than any other unfree nation in
the world. That is the leading fact of
the situation. Sir Charles Russell,
speaking at Red Cross meeting at
Dublin a few weeks ago, declared
that Ireland had given 100000 men to
the British Army and Navy; and this
leaves altogether out of account the
equally large number of Irishmen
who have taken part in the war in
the Australian, Canadian, and Amer
lean armies. If these are added in,
we need not hesitate to accept Mr..
John Redmond's estimate that 100000
1rishmen have fought in the ranks of
the Allies for the liberty of the world.
At the same time, as was shown in
the New Statesman some time ago,
Ireland has been second only to Amer
lea itself in the supplies of food she
has sent to England during the peril
GUS year of the war. Had it not been
for the assistance rendered by Ire
land, both in men and foodstuffs, it is
doubtful whether the Allies, would yet
have been able to force Germany to
submission. This is not to claim that
Ireland has done more than any 9TH
er country. 1t is to claim merely that
she was a necessary link in the great
chain Of the Allied success. He would
be a knave and a fool who would at
tempt to disparage the sacrifices of
France and England, of tortured Bel
GUM and tortured Serbia. He would
be equally a knave and fool, however,
who, having accepted the services of
half million Irish soldiers and sail
ors, would pretend that Ireland has
not made an immense and forcible
contribution to the victory of the Al
lies, and who would reward the Irish
dead with weak sheer about the
abundance of butter in Ireland il war
time.
1t may be asked why, these things
being SO, has the average Englishman
been allowed to get the idea that Ire.
land has stood aside and sulked dur.
ing the war. Some people think the
instruction of 1916 is chiefly to
blame. Well, there were not enough
| Irishmen in the Dublin insurrectioa
of 1916 to make up even one battal
ion of the Irish Guards. One was told
at the time that the Dublin insurgents
numbered about thousand. One has
learned since then that they were
hardly more than six hundred. Clear.
ly if Ireland's freedom is to depend
upon whether her services to the AL.
lies have outweighed her disservices
| she has earned her freedom about a
thousand times over. For every Irish.
man who shouldered rifle on the in.
surgent side, thousand Irishmen
have borne weapons on the side of the
Allies. I doubt if one Englishman in
a hundred thousand realizes this. If
they did, they would insist on seeing
that their Irish allies had free Par.
liament restored to them before the
Peace Conference sits. Never was the
need of national government proved
more completely. Had Ireland pos.
| sessed national government during
the war, she would have had an or.
gan for making known her services
to the civilized world. Canada, Aus.
tralia, and South Africa have but to
speak Of what they have done, and all
| the world listens. The Times, and the
press IN general pay Difference to
them as free nations that command
respect. South Africa has not contrib
uted nearly so many men to the Al
lied armies as Ireland has done, but,
luckily for herself, South Africa is
free, and even her most malignant en-.
envy of the old days dares not critic
her gift. She too, like Ireland, had a
small instruction; but, even after
this, she escaped calumny. She, too,
has been divided in opinion as to the
war, far more so, indeed, than Ireland
was before the malevolence of the
| anti-Irish authorities had had time to
destroy the peoples enthusiasm for
Belgium. 1T is am unfortunate fact"
said Mr.. Merriman in the early part
of the present year, that we in South
| Africa are for our sins rived into two
factions of almost equal strength. AL.
most 0no-ha1f IF tho E,1rOnoan nOn,l.