Ideal or Burden: The War of the Irish in Observe the Sons of Ulster Marching Towards the Somme

Frank McGuinness’ Observe the Sons of Ulster Marching Towards the Somme (1985) presents the struggle of the eight Ulstermen, the Unionists and Protestants, at the Battle of the Somme in 1916 during the First World War. The aim of this paper is to demonstrate that McGuinness, an Irish nationalist, makes the audience/reader see the issues of war and heroism from the Unionist perspective. The Ulstermen who enlist in the military to support Britain in the war and honour both Britain and Ireland abandon their ideals as they witness the horrors of war and recognise the possibility of losing their comrades. The characters in pairs depend on each other, and have a strong sense of brotherhood during their march to death at the Somme. In a sense, fighting for Britain and Ireland is no longer an act of heroism, which becomes illusionary, but they show heroism as they risk their lives to save each other and support one another in difficult circumstances. Hence, it will be argued that McGuinness uses the ‘illusion of heroism’ to deconstruct the military, and show that the national, political, religious and cultural differences lose meaning in the face death, which is a reference to the separation between Unionist Protestants and Nationalist Catholics with regard to political and religious affiliation. In this respect, the historical and political background information on the conflicts within Ireland which lead the Southern part to become the Republic of Ireland and the Northern part to remain as a part of Britain will be given as McGuinness questions not only the recruitment of Irish soldiers to fight in the First World War but also the Ulstermen’s devotion to Britain.