A Soldiers' Song

Based on several exchanges arising out of yesterday's posts about war memorials, and specifically about the Irish pardon of those men who fought in the British Army during the Second World War, I am told that on Saturday a plaque was unveiled and dedicated in Dublin, commemorating those Irishmen who fought in the International Brigades.

If those whose anti-Fascism moved them to fight for Stalin can be so fondly recalled in the New Ireland, then those whose anti-Fascism moved them to fight in British uniforms certainly deserve their recognition, as do those whose anti-Fascism led to their deaths in Spain at the hands of Stalin's so lionised agents.

Moreover, from joining the British Army to joining the International Brigades, from joining the United States Marine Corps to joining the French Foreign Legion, and indeed joining the many incarnations of the IRA, Irishmen have spent nearly a century searching for outlets for their very pronounced heritage of soldiering. From the Royal Irish Regiment to the New IRA, they are still doing it.

Scotland, take note. Militaria is far more a part of mainstream culture in Scotland than it is in England. The Irish Free State did not take over the Irish Regiments of the British Army. Nor would the resurrected Kingdom of Scotland take over the Scottish Regiments of the British Army. A spot of UN peacekeeping might be enough for some heirs of Scotland's military tradition. But it would not be enough for others.

Recruitment to the Scottish Regiments would therefore continue healthily. And for those who could not stomach that, there would always be the Auld Alliance.