World War I Recruitment Poster

World War I Recruitment Poster

1914

The General Council for the Organization of Recruitment in Ireland

This recruitment poster specifically catered to Irish men in an attempt to encourage volunteers to fight in World War I. Around 250,000 men from Ireland joined the British forces over the course of World War I. Many stayed behind, however, to use the distraction the war caused the British to their home advantage, partly leading to the Easter Rising of 1916. While the Irish were fighting under the British flag, sending an army out to war was an important step for Irish identity. Up to this point, most, if not all, Irish fighting had been internal or against intruders and colonizers on Irish soil. Both the Ulster Division and the British 10th and 16th Divisions were eventually allowed to officially be named the Irish divisions after protesting from John Redmond, an Irish Nationalist. Later in 1918, however, as word spread that the British may use conscription in Ireland to bulk up their forces, Irish opposition towards British rule grew exponentially stronger.

English

Corbett, Robin, and Keith Jeffery. Northern Ireland: The Divided Province. New York: Crescent Books, 1985. Print.

War

Adelyn Gillon

Crescent Books