The nascent Irish Republic was wrong and on the wrong side of history when it failed to join in the war against the Nazis. It preferred a neutrality that, at times, assisted the Nazis to kill more Irish people in Belfast and other parts of Ulster. So forgive us, Dunbar's callous moralising.
Not all Irishmen who fought for the UK disliked doing so or did not feel patriotism for the British Union. It would be best if you did not assume your feelings are shared by all Irishmen.
I studied this poem in my 7 th standard. At that age it was not easy to comprehend the entire philosophy behind those verses. But yet ,it has stayed on. That is what poetry does, change lives inspite of personal circumstances.
Excerpts from the Poetry Hour homage to Josephine Hart 18 Sept 2012 at the Centre Culturel Irlandais in Paris Readers Sinéad Cusack, Marianne Faithfull, Bob Geldof, Charlotte Rampling ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-ZUeqMzUloH8.html
" I balanced all, brought all to mind, the years to come seemed waste of breath, a waste of breath the years behind. In balance with this life, this death." I think that pretty much sums up why people inlist.
A favourite of mine, since I was a child. Now, I think I'll always hear it as read by Adrian Dunbar. Thank you for that, truly. Fun fact: this was John F Kennedy's favourite poem, apparently.
