The Irish Canadian Rangers in Canada and Ireland, 1914–17 with Terry Copp (LCSC)
All LCSC public lectures will be available both in-person and virtually on Zoom. For those interested in attending in-person, please visit 232 King Street North, Waterloo. Doors open at 6:30pm and the event begins at 7:00pm. If you are unable to attend in-person but would still like to watch the event virtually, click here to register to watch on Zoom.
The Irish Canadian Rangers began as a Militia Regiment in 1915 after Catholic and Protestant Irish agreed to cooperate. After the battle of Second Ypres, the regiment contributed a full company to the 60th Battalion and began a campaign to persuade Sam Hughes to promise that an Irish Canadian Rangers battalion would go overseas as the 199th under its own officers. Recruiting began in 1916, continuing despite the Easter Rebellion in Dublin and the growing turmoil in Ireland. The 199th struggled to reach full strength but responded favorably to a British request to tour Ireland before joining the 5th Canadian Division. Drawing upon research for his recent book, Montreal At War, 1914–1918, Terry Copp examines both Irish and Canadian history in this dramatic, formative period.