page_title: Irish in the British Armed Forces
section_title: Irish republican opposition
hierarchical_section_title: Irish in the British Armed Forces / Subjects / Irish republican opposition
context_page_description: The Irish in the British Armed Forces refers to the history of Irish people serving in the British Armed Forces. Ireland was then as part of the United Kingdom from 1800-1922 and during this time in particular many Irishmen fought in the British Army. Different social classes joined the military for various reasons, including the Anglo-Irish officers who thoroughly wished to support the "mother country", while others, typically poorer Irish Catholics, did so to support their families or seeking adventure. Many Irishmen and members of the Irish diaspora in Britain and also Ulster-Scots served in both World War I and World War II as part of the British forces. However, especially since the advent of Irish independence and The Troubles, the topic of enlistment in the British forces has been controversial for the Irish at home, but does still occur. Since partition, Irish citizens have continued to have the right to serve in the British Army. Since 2007, when troops finally withdrew from the streets of Northern Ireland, the number of Irish citizens joining has increased, reaching its highest levels since World War II.
context_section_description: The broader movement of Irish nationalism; particularly those of a Home Rule or reformist disposition; was not necessarily hostile to Britain or Irish participation in the British Armed Forces and indeed had some supporters up until the end of the First World War, such as the National Volunteers who were supporters of John Redmond and the Irish Parliamentary Party. The doctrines of Irish republicanism have traditionally upheld a harder line. Republicans by nature advocate "breaking the connection with England" in total: an All-Ireland sovereign nation state under a republican form of government, with no British involvement. From the beginning in the late 1700s, Irish republicanism has tended to employed two tactics: (1) portray the British state and its security forces in propaganda as a hostile, alien, occupational force  (2) infiltrate militant republicans into the British military to gain practical experience in soldiering.
  A number of men who later became prominent Irish republican militants had at some point served in the British Army, this includes; James Connolly, Tom Barry, Martin Doyle (a Victoria Cross winner), Emmet Dalton, Erskine Childers and in more recent times John Joe McGee. Aside from the obvious paramilitary opposition to Irish involvement in the British Armed Forces, the Irish rebel song tradition has developed which also voices opposition to Irish enlistment or criticised the actions of the British forces in Ireland. Some of the best known of these include; Join the British Army, The Recruiting Sergeant, Foggy Dew, Come Out Ye Black and Tans, Who Is Ireland's Enemy?, Go On Home, among others. Johnny I Hardly Knew Ye and McCafferty, while not of republican origin, carry much of the same spirit.
  'Twas England bade our Wild Geese go, that "small nations might be free",
  But their lonely graves are by Suvla's waves on the fringe of the great North Sea.
  
  Oh, had they died by Pearse's side or fought with Cathal Brugha,
  Their names we'd keep where the Fenians sleep, 'neath the shroud of the Foggy Dew.
  — Canon Charles O’Neill, Foggy Dew, 1919.
caption: James Connolly served in Ireland as part of the King's Regiment (Liverpool) from 1882–1889. He later became an Irish republican leader.
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