The Irish military diaspora refers to the many people of either Irish birth or extraction (see Irish diaspora) who have served in foreign military forces, regardless of rank, duration of service, or success.
Many foreign military units were primarily made of Irish people or those of Irish military diaspora and had the word 'Irish', an Irish place name or an Irish person in the unit's name. 'Irish' named military units took part in numerous conflicts throughout world history. The first military unit of this kind was in the Spanish Netherlands during the Eighty Years' War between Spain and the Dutch. A notable example would be that of Owen Roe O'Neill.
Read more about Irish Military Diaspora: Austria and Austria-Hungary, Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Latin America, Papal States, Portugal, Russia, Spain, United States of America
Famous quotes containing the words irish and/or military:
“I was the rector’s son, born to the anglican order,
Banned for ever from the candles of the Irish poor;
The Chichesters knelt in marble at the end of a transept
With ruffs about their necks, their portion sure.”
—Louis MacNeice (1907–1963)
“The transformation of the impossible into reality is always the mark of a demonic will. The only way to recognize a military genius is by the fact that, during the war, he will mock the rules of warfare and will employ creative improvisation instead of tested methods and he will do so at the right moment.”
—Stefan Zweig (18811942)