Everyday life in Ireland during the Great War

Résumé du document

What led people to enlist in the army? Only a few were gained by the war enthusiasm in 1914; the lists were much larger in 1915 when the violence of the war and the uncertainty of its outcome were universally understood.Both unionists and nationalists joined the army; loyalty to the King or the country was not a determinant factor. Poverty and unemployment cannot be considered as a determinant factor either. It would have made little sense to exchange poverty at home, albeit severe, against the misery of life in the trenches.

What actually drove many Irishmen in the battle was loyalty to their friends and their families. Peer-pressure was stronger than individual interest; many preferred to face huge risks rather than losing the esteem of those they loved. Most of those who joined were actually members of some paramilitary associations.

The reason explaining why many Irishmen did not join the forces is the same. Only a few declared that there was nothing to fight for. Many refused because of family or business commitments. What is more, with the rise of nationalism in the years 1917-1918, young Irishmen faced ridicule from their peers if they joined the crown army.

Extraits

[...] Everyday life in Ireland during the Great War David Fitzpatrick Homefront and Everyday Life (2008) WWI touched every aspect of the Irish life, whether personal, social, economic or political. Personal impact 200000 Irish died, and tens of thousands joined the British or American forces. Conscription touched every part of Ireland, but Ireland was finally excluded of it. What led people to enlist in the army? Only a few were gained by the war enthusiasm in 1914; the lists were much larger in 1915 when the violence of the war and the uncertainty of its outcome were universally understood.Both unionists and nationalists joined the army; loyalty to the King or the country was not a determinant factor. [...]

[...] Both sides believed that common sacrifices could break the walls of partition between Protestant and Catholic, between Nationalists and Unionists, between northerner and southerner. These hopes however faded in the course of the war, mainly because of the perceived discrimination against the nationalists units. Fitzpatrick argues that even if the retrospective sympathy to the 1916 rebels war more important in the strengthening of nationalism than any hate against the allies, the uprising would have been unthinkable without the war. In the end, Fitzpatrick argues that Ireland fared well from the Great War. References David Fitzpatrick, Homefront and Everyday Life John Horne, Our War? [...]

[...] Inessential industries were strongly disrupted. Unemployment increased in the first months; nevertheless it soon became clear that Irishmen had better job prospects than in peacetime thanks to their extraordinary capacity of adaptation. Wages kept up with inflation. Earnings and working conditions even improved a lot for those employed in the munitions sector. The German commercial blockage cut the British food supply and give to the Irish farmers a huge opportunity to do well out of the war. Still overwhelmingly agricultural, Ireland was only lightly touched by food shortage and prospered thanks to the British needs. [...]

[...] But in others, many frustrated immigrants were subject to unemployment and poverty, and had a decisive impact in the creation and fueling of the Sinn Fein and the IRA. Women were also called to replace men that left to war, deployed in many sectors of the Irish economy through a “national service plan” in 1917. It improved the perception of women, and made them closer to full citizenship. Artists, writers and musicians all applied their skills to the war theme, and war was all through the newspaper. Even Yeats wrote a war poem; An Irish Airman Foresees his Death. [...]

[...] Many basic alimental goods became scarce, such as bread and beer. Rationing was also introduced to protect the poorest consumers. On the other hand, anxiety about the future of human race led to a huge advance in child and maternal welfare with the provision of free milk for school children and the encouragement of breast-feeding to diminish infant mortality. Nutrition actually improved thanks to the distribution of vegetable instead of meat, or of margarine instead of butter. Nevertheless, there was less choice on the luxuries, except for the rich or influential people. [...]