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Courage Under Fire: Five Irish Heroes of the Victoria Cross
These biographies reveal the human stories behind the official citations—the childhoods in Irish towns and countryside, the families torn between pride and grief, the split-second decisions made amid the chaos of industrial warfare. Through their experiences, we glimpse not only the horror and heroism of the Western Front, but also the complex identity of Irishmen serving in British uniform during one of the most turbulent periods in their nation's history.
The Great War claimed the lives of countless Irishmen, but these five Victoria Cross recipients in their moments of supreme courage, carried their honors and their memories through the decades that followed. Their stories illuminate the paradoxes of Irish military service, the bonds forged in the trenches that transcended political divisions, and the extraordinary capacity for sacrifice that war can reveal in ordinary men.
Courage Under Fire honors their memory not as symbols of any particular cause, but as representatives of the highest human virtues—courage, loyalty, and the willingness to die for others. Their bronze crosses bear witness to moments when the human spirit triumphed over the machinery of modern war.
The Great War claimed the lives of countless Irishmen, but these five Victoria Cross recipients in their moments of supreme courage, carried their honors and their memories through the decades that followed. Their stories illuminate the paradoxes of Irish military service, the bonds forged in the trenches that transcended political divisions, and the extraordinary capacity for sacrifice that war can reveal in ordinary men.
Courage Under Fire honors their memory not as symbols of any particular cause, but as representatives of the highest human virtues—courage, loyalty, and the willingness to die for others. Their bronze crosses bear witness to moments when the human spirit triumphed over the machinery of modern war.
120 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 4, 2025
About the author
Grace O'Malley
21 books10 followersGrace O'Malley is a poet, librivore, and literary maenad. She writes fairy tales, horrors, and histories with the same pen; collects murder ballads, video games, and recipes; builds computers, meddles in fiber art, and sets out bread and milk for the Good Folk on Midsummer's Eve.
Grace is also an editor with the writing challenge/art incubator Scriptic Collective, accepts freelance manuscript editing work on the side, hangs around the Imaginary Garden with Real Toads, and occasionally posts short fictions and poetry at her blog words like foam on the waves.
When she isn't scribbling in or about her nascent mythmash of a novel, Grace can be found singing in a Star Trek-themed rock band, studying for the Japanese Language Proficiency Test, or baking complicated pastries.
Grace is also an editor with the writing challenge/art incubator Scriptic Collective, accepts freelance manuscript editing work on the side, hangs around the Imaginary Garden with Real Toads, and occasionally posts short fictions and poetry at her blog words like foam on the waves.
When she isn't scribbling in or about her nascent mythmash of a novel, Grace can be found singing in a Star Trek-themed rock band, studying for the Japanese Language Proficiency Test, or baking complicated pastries.
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