lways said that England's difficulty would be
Ireland's opportunity, but they did not reckon with the paradoxical
character of the Irish people. England's difficulty has indeed been
Ireland's opportunity--the opportunity of displaying that generous
nature which has already contributed thousands of men to the
Expeditionary Force, and is mustering tens of thousands more under the
patriotic stimulus of those old political enemies, Mr. John Redmond and
Sir Edward Carson. The civil war is "put off," as one Irish soldier
expresses it; old enmities are laid aside and Orange and Green are
righting shoulder to shoulder, on old battlefields whose names are writ
in glory upon the colors.

No more cheerful regiments than the Irish are to be found in the firing
line. Their humor in the trenches, their love of songs, and their dash
in action are manifested in all their letters. An English soldier,
writing home, says that even in the midst of a bayonet charge an
Irishman can always raise a laugh. "Look at thim divils retratin' with
their backs facin' us," was an Irish remark about the Germans that made
his fellows roar. And when the Fusiliers heard the story of the Kaiser's
lucky shamrock, one of them said: "Sure, an' it'll be moighty lucky for
him if he doesn't lose it"; adding to one of three comrades, "There'll
be a leaf apiece for us, Hinissey, when we get to Berlin."

In the fighting the Irish have done big things and their dash and
courage have filled their British and French comrades with admiration.
Referring to the first action in which the Irish Guards took part, and
the smart businesslike way in which they cut up the Germans, Private
Heffernan, Royal Irish Fusiliers, says they had a great reception as
they marched back into the lines: "Of course, we all gave them a cheer,
but it would have done your heart good to see the Frenchmen (who had a
good view of the fighting) standing up in their trenches and shouting
like mad as the Guards passed by. The poor chaps didn't like the idea
that it was their first time in action, and were shy about the fuss made
of them: and there was many a row in camp that night over men saying
fine things and reminding them of their brand new battle honors."[D]

A fine story is told of the heroism of two Irish Dragoons by a trooper
of that gallant regiment. "One of our men," he says, "carried a wounded
comrade to a friendly farm-house under heavy fire, and when the retreat
was ordered both were cu