The outbreak of the First World War meant that Home Rule was suspended for the duration of the conflict. 

But despite political tensions rising in the run up to the First World War, between 1914 and 1918 some 200,000 Irishmen from all walks of life served in every branch of the British Armed Forces. 

Many Ulster Volunteers and members of the Irish Volunteer Force (IVF) joined the British Army to fight for the Allied forces. But 11,000 members of the IVF refused to join the war effort. 

Irish civilians also played an important role in the war against Germany. In Belfast, 37,000 individuals worked in the shipping industry, whilst munition factories could be found across Ireland. 

Many Irish women worked as nurses. Some were professional, but others volunteered for the Red Cross or the Voluntary Aid Detachment (VAD).