Youâd have to say it wasnât the greatest decision ever made
Youâd have to imagine that very few men go to war unless they either really, really strongly believe they are doing it for the right reasons, or because they have no choice and are being forced.
Either way though, Iâm sure they would be mightily comforted in the trench if they had known that, 100 years on, lads whoâve never been in a scrap let alone a war would be arguing anonymously over it on the INTERNET.
Just fyi I was in a scrap quite recently.
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They didnt even have a vote 
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Despite the unfortunate manner in which it worked out for him i suspect @locke s great grand daddy would be happy enough knowing he has a few of the usual suspects driven absolutely fucking demented this weekend.
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For me, Armistice Day has no personal significance. But if I am truly committed to building a new Ireland, I must come to understand why it matters to my neighbour because I sure as hell do have skin in that game. Today I respectfully watched and listened and wore the poppy to show solidarity with my neighbours.
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Rte news now. Iâm seething
Ireland was never at war.
Thereâs no way of fully proving / disproving why people went. Of the nationalist/catholic Irish - 30,000 followed Redmond and the promise of Home Rule - they were constitutional separatists and how deep their sense of loyalty to the King ran is unknown - the fact remains they fully believed they were getting Home Rule and that was one of the main reasons they went off to war.
As has been mentioned, it has been estimated that at least 60%, the majority, went to put food on the table and the knowledge of a pension if they made it home or didnt. In some letters from men at the front that a mate of mine was working on it was clear as fuck they didnt care for King or Kaiser - and quite often it was the local boss man that they asked after - showing that as ever, Ireland was a very local place⌠quite often the local boss man (big employer) had convinced employees to go and serve.
You also cant count out the propaganda at the time - posters egging lads to go on an adventure of a life time - to go see the world and be back in a year. Most of them hadnât a notion what they were going off to.
And then there was @Lockeâs lot - Off dying for King and Country â The same king that had his GGrandfather digging around in a patch of dirt in Kilkenny. And when people read that the vast majority went to put food on the table they should be asking why were so many people destitute⌠Of course thatâs another topic altogether.
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So the first group was either misguided or easily led? Youth being a factor for many but volunteering to do the wartime bidding of a colonial overlord, not conscripted, is questionable at the minimum, hardly to be celebrated. The promise of home rule for killonh doesnât excuse them. Granted they had no idea at the start what they were getting into.
I wonder what leo has planned for soloheadbeg
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Like I said, war was sold as adventure and something that would be over in a year â Lots of propaganda and Lord wanker balls touring the country to drive recruitment â Iâm sure it was all very exciting for lads that lived in Ballymuck and Carrigmudhut. Young lads with nothing ahead of them but a bit of labouring if they were lucky. Others with 2/3 kids and they starving half the year. Others still who thought they were doing Ireland a great service and winning Home Rule ⌠and then the unionist mob from the North, South Dublin and Kilkenny.
Seamus Coleman
Is he some sort of soccerball player? If so, I wouldnât expect anything else from his kind.
Anyone catch Peter Jacksonâs documentary about WWI last night on bbc2? It was epic, worth a watch.
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I watched most of it. It was incredible. Hell on earth in the winter time.
Death become just a daily part of life.
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It was very good.
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Didnt see it pal, was out marching and reenacting the 1916 uprising.
TDH
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