In a speech at Woodenbridge on 5 August 1914, John Redmond, the leader of the IPP, said that it is the duty of Irish men "to defend at all cost the shores of Ireland from foreign invasion...,,,,,This war is undertaken in defence of the highest principles of religion and morality and right, and it would be a disgrace for ever to our country.....if young Ireland confined their efforts to remaining at home to defend the shores from an unlikely invasion.....I say to you, therefore, your duty is twofold.......to account for yourselves as men, not only in Ireland itself, but wherever the firing-line extends, in defence of right and freedom and religion in this war." (1)
Redmond's speech was condemned by Sinn Fein, the Gaelic League and the Irish Republican Brotherhood. In an article in An Claideamh Soluis , Patrick Pearse accused the British government of hypocrisy in going to war to defend the independence of Belgium from German aggression, while refusing to give even Home Rule to Ireland, in spite of the expressed will of the great majority of the Irish people. Ireland will not give any support to Britain in the war.
Recruitment to Irish regiments was slow. By 31 December 1914, it was only about 18,000 men. The Tullamore by-election on 9 December 1914, was a Sinn Fein gain from IPP. (2)
A War Council was formed in November 1914 to advise the cabinet on war strategy. It was chaired by Arthur Balfour (Prime Minister). There were four other Conservative cabinet ministers: Andrew Bonar Law (Chancellor of the Exchequer), Austen Chamberlain (Foreign Secretary), Arthur Lee (First Lord of the Admiralty), and Lord Robert Cecil (India Secretary). The other members were Herbert Henry Asquith, the only Liberal member, Earl Kitchener (War Secretary), Lord Fisher (First Sea Lord), and Lieutenant-General Sir James Wolfe Murray (Chief of the Imperial General Staff). (3)
The war was proceeding as in OTL. On 26 December 1914, Sir Maurice Hankey, the Secretary to the Committee of Imperial Defence, and Secretary to the War Council, sent a memorandum he had written, to Balfour, He wrote that in view of the stalemate on the Western Front, there had to be an offensive elsewhere. "Germany was thus far surviving all the economic pressures. Perhaps she could be weakened by the capture of Constantinople? Three British army corps might become available by the spring, Then the Balkan states might be persuaded to attack the Austrians while were held to their eastern front by the Russians." (4)
(1) This was as in OTL, Redmond's speech is taken from Home Rule and the Irish Question by Grenfell Morton, London: Longman Group Limited, 1980.
(2) In OTL the Tullamore by-election was a Independent Nationalist gain from IPP.
(3) This was as in OTL. It was chaired by Asquith, and the same cabinet posts were represented. Fisher and Murray were also members, and Balfour was the only Conservative member. See Balfour: Intellectual Statesman by Ruddock F. Mackay, Oxford University Press, 1985.
(4) This was as in OTL. See Balfour: Intellectual Statesman .