A Coward if I Return, A Hero if I Fall

IRELAND'S FORGOTTEN LEGACY In 1914-1918, two hundred thousand Irishmen from all religions and backgrounds went to war. At least thirty-five thousand never came home. Those that did were scarred for the rest of their lives. Many of these survivors found themselves abandoned and ostracised by their countrymen, their voices seldom heard. The book includes: - The first Victoria Cross - Leading the way at Gallipoli and the Somme - North and South fighting side by side at Messines Ridge - Ireland's flying aces - Brothers-in-arms - heart-rending stories of family sacrifice - The lucky escapes of some; the tragic end of others - The homecoming - why there was no hero's welcome  Includes over 300 photographs and items of memorabelia from the lives of these brave men and their families. An important book that opened up the conversation in Ireland about our role in World War I. Updated, and with a new introduction.

Neil Richardson studied Philosophy in University College, Dublin, before writing his first book, A Coward If I Return, A Hero If I Fall: Stories of Irishmen in World War I, which won the Argosy Irish Non-Fiction Book of the Year award at the 2010 Irish Book Awards. This was followed by Dark Times, Decent Men: Stories of Irishmen in World War II in 2012, and According to Their Lights: Stories of Irishmen in the British Army, Easter 1916 in 2015. A member of the Reserve Defence Forces, Neil has also written and produced plays with a Great War theme and has made several national television and radio appearances, including as consultant historian on RTÉ television's centenary programme 'My Great War'. He recently completed an MA in Military History and Strategic Studies (Maynooth University) and is currently studying for a PhD in History.