More Furies than Men

The history of the Irish Brigade remains fascinating more than three centuries after its creation in the late seventeenth century and is regularly revived in the English-speaking world as well as in Western Europe thanks to historians, journalists, and even politicians. The military feats of these Irish troops fighting for the French kings in Italy in 1702, on the plains of Flanders, or for the Stuarts in the Scottish Highlands in 1745 still captivate people's imaginations to this day. Yet, the reality of the lives and deaths of these Irishmen is often eclipsed by nineteenth century historical myths produced in both Ireland and Great Britain for political purposes that were either different or even in complete opposition to the Brigade's raison d'être. This is not the only paradox attached to the Irish Brigade. Though successful on the battlefields of Europe, they fought other people's wars.