The poppy as a mark of respect

Sir — It’s hard to credit that when a politician, and especially the leader of the country, decides to honour the fallen Irish of World War I by wearing a poppy in the Dail, it leads to controversy.

Predictably, there is always a backlash in this country, by certain members of the public when anything is done to honour the Irish who died in World War I.

It should be remembered that a large proportion of the Irishmen who fought in that war were doing so in the belief that they were fighting for Home Rule. A great many of these men would go on to fight in the War of Independence — Tom Barry and Emmet Dalton for example.

A lot of Irish families would have been touched by World War I. If people want to wear a poppy as a mark of respect, then they should be able to do so without having to listen to abuse from certain quarters.

Remembering the men who fought in a war, that would come to be seen as a tragic waste of human life, is quite a natural thing to do for any nation which has had heavy losses.

However, in this country there are those, who in a heightened state of jingoism, which seems to be brought on by any reference to World War I, start to make their own references to the 1916 Rising.

The men of 1916 were undoubtedly brave, who gave their lives for a cause they believed in, and Ireland commemorates these patriots freely.

The same should be true for the World War I Irish, and yet it’s not, so one would have to ask why it isn’t? It’s now the 21st Century, after all. John Willoughby,

Carlow