Muttley, there was also, for some, an economic element to "serving the colours" for many young Irishmen, and there had been a history of recruiting them for generations stretching back a few hundred years. Also Ireland had always had a good sprinkling of retired ex British Army men on pensions so the route of "escape" was as common and known as in working-class areas of mainland Britain for young men with a sense of adventure and few prospects in a depressed economic climate. This is not to underrate or decry their sense of justice and desire to resist tyranny, but to simply to point out there may have been less obvious contributing factors also to their volunteering.

He went out to France in 1915
A man with the Connaught Rangers
To fight with the Kaiser who he'd never seen
And in the defence of some strangers
But the times they were hard there was no work around
And the Army gave gold in your fist
You didn't need much yourself, it was "all found"
So Grandfather went to enlist