171: Anzacs and Ireland: Exploring the relationship between Ireland and Australia during World War I

The people of Ireland and Australia have much in common based on genealogy and a shared heritage. Yet the connections between Ireland and Australia in World War I are little known even though they are many and run deep. In this presentation Jeff Kildea tells the story of how those connections were forged: Australian and Irish soldiers fought alongside each other at Gallipoli, the Western Front and in Palestine, and thousands of Irish-born men and women enlisted in the Australian forces. But it was in Ireland itself that Australian soldiers cemented their relationships with Ireland and its people, as tourists on leave, in some cases becoming involved in the Easter Rising of 1916, while some failed to return and are buried in Irish soil. Bio: Dr Jeff Kildea is an honorary professor in Irish Studies at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia. In 2014 he held the Keith Cameron Chair of Australian History at University College Dublin. He is the author of Tearing the Fabric: Sectarianism in Australia 1910-1925 (2002), Anzacs and Ireland (2007); Wartime Australians: Billy Hughes (2008), Hugh Mahon: Patriot, Pressman, Politician Vol 1 (2017), Vol 2 (2020), Leaving Home: Stories of my Emigrant Ancestors (2021), and co-author of To foster an Irish spirit: The Irish National Association of Australasia 1915-2015 (2020). For further information visit: jeffkildea.com.