In the Irish Brigade A Tale of War in Flanders and Spain - Preface - The evils arising from religious persecution, sectarian hatred, ill-government, and oppression were never more strongly illustrated than by the fact that for a century Ireland, which ha since that time furnished us with a large proportion of our best soldiers, should have been among our bitterest and most formidable foes, and her sons fought in the ranks of our greatest continental enemy. It vas not because they were adherents of the house of Stuart that Irishmen left their native country to take service abroad, but because life in Ireland was rendered well-nigh intolerable for Catholics on account of the nature and severity of the laws against them, and the bitterness with which those laws were carried into effect. An Irish Catholic had no prospects of employment or advancement at home. He could hold no civil appointment of any kind he could not serve as an officer, nor even enlist 8s a private, in the army he could not hold land he was subject to imprisonment, and even death, on the most trifling and frivolous accusations brought against him by the satellites of the Irish Government. Not only could he not sit in the parliament of Dublin, but he could not kven vote at elections...