This is the story of the Irish militia in the first period of its existence, the turbulent era of the French revolutionary wars from 1793 to 1802. The Irish militia has been much criticized, and its reputation has been much maligned, but there has been little sustained research into the force, which is redressed by this account. This book covers the organization, composition and embodiment of the militia, as well as dealing with weapons, commissions, perceptions of duty, loyalty of militiamen, leadership and discipline of the men. It sets the Irish militia in its context as a part of the British army of the time and comments on the poor training and discipline of this force as it confronted the French. The author reconsiders the operational performance of the militia and shows how it withstood the 1798 rebellion, which it ultimately defeated. Lapses of discipline are not glossed over, but neither are the numerous examples of personal bravery, and unit steadfastness. The result is a detailed and fascinating account of a much maligned force written by a soldier about soldiers who have been largely misrepresented and seemingly forgotten in Ireland.

This text shows how the militia played a larger role in the defence of 18th century Ireland than has hitherto been realised, and how it's reliability was therefore a key point for the government.

Covering the period from the re-establishment of the Irish militia during the Crimean War until the disbandment of the Ulster Defence Regiment in 1992, this book examines the Irish amateur military tradition within the British Army, distinctive from a British amateur military tradition. Irish men and women of both religions and political persuasions made a significant contribution to these forces, and in so doing played an important role within the British Empire, whilst also providing a crucial link between the army and Irish society. Utilising new source material, this book demonstrates the complex nature of Irish involvement with British institutions and its Empire. It argues that within this unique tradition, two divergent Protestant and Catholic traditions emerged, and membership of these organisations was used as a means of social mobility, for political patronage, and, crucially, to demonstrate loyalty to Britain and its Empire.

The latter half of the eighteenth-century saw Irish opposition movements being greatly influenced by the American and French revolutions. This two-part, six-volume edition illustrates the depth and reach of this influence by publishing pamphlets dealing with the major political issues of these decades.

This is the first volume of a two volume work entitled The British Army on Bloomsday. It contains a history of the British Army through 1904 with an emphasis on Ireland and Irish history. Includes extensive, detailed material on commissioned and enlisted life during the Late-Victorian Era (especially for Irish soldiers), the Irish Militia, the armies of the British East India Company, and a description of the British Army of 1904. The book's subject matter is viewed through the lens of James Joyce's Ulysses with multiple references to material in the novel. The book gives the serious Ulysses reader full background information on the military events and characters that appear throughout Joyce's groundbreaking and most popular novel. While this volume focuses on the British Army, the second volume, The British Army in Ulysses, narrows in on the novel. The chapters on Molly Bloom and her father, Major Tweedy, present new findings that will likely provoke controversy among Joyceans.

The British army between 1783 and 1815 – the army that fought in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic wars – has received severe criticism and sometimes exaggerated praise from contemporaries and historians alike, and a balanced and perceptive reassessment of it as an institution and a fighting force is overdue. That is why this carefully considered new study by Kevin Linch is of such value. He brings together fresh perspectives on the army in one of its most tumultuous – and famous – eras, exploring the global range of its deployment, the varieties of soldiering it had to undertake, its close ties to the political and social situation of the time, and its complex relationship with British society and culture. In the face of huge demands on its manpower and direct military threats to the British Isles and territories across the globe, the army had to adapt. As Kevin Linch demonstrates, some changes were significant while others were, in the end, minor or temporary. In the process he challenges the ‘Road to Waterloo’ narrative of the army’s steady progress from the nadir of the 1780s and early 1790s, to its strong performances throughout the Peninsular War and its triumph at the Battle of Waterloo. His reassessment shows an army that was just good enough to cope with the demanding campaigns it undertook.

This volume represents the first dedicated study of the British Yeomanry Cavalry, delving into the institution’s history from the cessation of hostilities with France in 1815 through to the eve of the First World War in 1914. This social history explores the Yeomanry’s composition and place within British society, as well as its controversial role in policing before and after Peterloo, and its unique contribution to the war in South Africa. Overturning or challenging many enduring myths and accepted truths, this book breaks new ground not just in our understanding of the Yeomanry, but the wider amateur military tradition.

An examination of the lifecycle of soldiers, including enlistment, experiences of military life, the soldier's place in society and in politics, and military identity, memory and representation.

The latter half of the eighteenth-century saw Irish opposition movements being greatly influenced by the American and French revolutions. This two-part, six-volume edition illustrates the depth and reach of this influence by publishing pamphlets dealing with the major political issues of these decades.

A pioneering exploration of the phenomenon of the composite state in Eighteenth-century Europe. Employing a comparative approach, it combines the findings of new research on Ireland with broader syntheses of major composite states in Europe – those of France, Austria and Poland-Lithuania.