ABSTRACT
In November 1921, James Vincent O’Loghlin compared India and Ireland in his regular column in Adelaide’s Irish Catholic newspaper, the Southern Cross. He emphasised the consequences of foreign rule for India, prevented from making its own laws and subject to those made by the British government in India ‘in which she has no representation’. Constituting around 25 per cent of Australia’s population in 1911, first- and second-generation Irish Australians had limited recognition of some very basic similarities between Ireland and India. This chapter explores the international context, focusing specifically on the backdrop to and impact of World War One in both India and Ireland. It briefly clarifies the contours of post-war coercion in both countries. The chapter demonstrates how three of Australia’s Irish Catholic newspapers, along with their editors and commentators, informed and enlightened readers about the emerging parallels between these imperial associates through an examination of items published between 1919 and 1921.
