ABSTRACT
During 1919, as tens of thousands of Irish ex-soldiers and sailors began returning home following their demobilisation from the First World War, Ireland became engulfed in the early stage of a republican insurgency against British rule. The historiography on these returning Great War veterans has tended to focus on either republican violence against them, or the economic and social problems that they faced. This has given the impression that veterans played a passive role during the Irish War of Independence and that they were largely the unfortunate victims of an intensifying war of terror and counter-terror. Yet some Irish veterans had an entirely different experience, being either active participants as members of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) or the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC). Using samples of ex-servicemen identified in the two organisations, this chapter examines their backgrounds, their motives for joining the British army and subsequently the IRA or RIC, and their respective performances as insurgents or counter-insurgents. Ultimately, the cohort analysis demonstrates that the veterans’ impact on the conflict was disproportionate to their numbers.
