The Fighting Irish: The Story of the Extraordinary Irish Soldier

For centuries, Irish soldiers have pursued military careers abroad, fighting on various sides and in numerous conflicts. Their stories have endured across generations. Irish soldiers left their homeland seeking opportunity and often hoping to advance revolutionary causes for their countrymen. They served in diverse locations worldwide, including the American frontier, the American Civil War, and campaigns in Canada and South Africa. During the twentieth century, they fought at the Somme, in the Congo, and more recently in Iraq and Afghanistan. Tim Newark draws on primary sources—diaries, letters, journals, and interviews with veterans in Ireland and internationally—to present these soldiers' accounts in their own words.