Irishmen emigrating instead of enlisting condemned

Liverpool, 25 October 1915 - British officials have bitterly condemned the number of Irishmen who are emigrating to the United States for the obvious purpose of evading military duty.

One official said: ‘It is a scandal that these men should be allowed to leave the country. They are leaving to escape being soldiers. I have questioned them as to why they are leaving, and all they say is that they are going to meet some uncle or aunt in the States. It is a poor excuse, for it is plain that they don’t want to fight.’

[Editor's note: This is an article from Century Ireland, a fortnightly online newspaper, written from the perspective of a journalist 100 years ago, based on news reports of the time.]