For the glory of Ireland

“For the Glory of Ireland” is a WWI propaganda poster published in Dublin in 1915. The Focus of the poster is a woman at the center who is holding a rifle to her side and gesturing toward Belgium burning in the background behind her. She is looking at a man who stands next to her, his face hidden from view, holding a walking stick under his arm. The slogan listed at the bottom of the page reads: “Will you go or must I?” insinuating that this is what the woman is asking of the man. Behind the woman and down the hill close to the coast is what appears to be a family. She beckons for the Irish man to go to war to protect not only her and this family, but the family of Ireland and the world more broadly. This source speaks to the culture of war propaganda during the first World War and also reveals how gender interacted with themes of war, family, and country. While the poster does highlight the bravery and willingness to protect family embodied within the woman, ultimately it is attempting to enforce the gender roles of the time. This poster would theoretically have been compelling to young able-bodied men in this period because the thought of a woman going to war was popularly unthinkable and ridiculous. To refuse to take her place was to refuse the dominant ideas of masculinity and honor. This source can be utilized in lessons that focus on a variety of topics and themes including: World War I, Irish history, Gender history, and Women in times of war.

Another dynamic at play here is existing tensions between Britain and Ireland. One year after this poster was published was the Easter Rising of 1916 which failed but ultimately sparked the Anglo-Irish War of 1919-1921 eventually resulting in Irish independence. This plea to Ireland from the British government to join the fight “for the glory of Ireland” was likely met with hostility as social tensions were on a sharp incline during this period.