Thompson, sorry I overlooked your 6th Sept post.
"The fact that the Irish Volunteers joined the British Army en masse after John Redmond pledged in the House of Commons that they would do so in exhange for the promise of Home Rule ..."

Remember, they already had that promise. The Bill was passed in May.
Redmond just had to agree to postpone it.

The Irish Volunteers (16th Irish Division) have a web site.
http://freespace.virgin.net/sh.k/xvidiv.html