Interview: Richard Grayson on ‘Dublin’s Great Wars’

John Dorney interviews Richard Grayson on his recent book Dublin’s Great Wars, which examines Ireland’s capital city’s experience both of the First World War and nationalist revolution from 1914-1923.

We talk about:

 The very varied motivations and social backgrounds of Dublin recruits.

Their experiences at the battle fronts.

How the war came to define rival and mutually hostile brands of Irish nationalist and republicanism.

How the War veterans fared on their return to Ireland, challenging assumptions about their presumed political allegiances and treatment by republicans.

How commemoration of the war is a far more complex story and than simply wilful ‘forgetting’.

His book is reviewed by John Dorney here.

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