The Irish people have a long history of emigration and it is no surprise that those emigrants found themselves involved in wars throughout the world. For many, a career as a soldier was the last hope for a better life and the great armies have always been a home to those on the bottom rungs of society. This book tells some of those stories. Courage and Conflict is based around extraordinary people and events, revolutionaries, inventors, soldiers, sailors and mutineers. Some of these histories are more famous than others, many have been forgotten and some are being told for the first time. This thrilling book tells the story of * John Barry, the ‘father of the United States Navy’ * the brutal tale of the San Patricios, deserters from the US Army who fought for Mexico * the forgotten history of the Irish Battalion of the Papal Army in Italy * John Philip Holland and the development of the modern submarine * the epic history of Irish involvement in the American Civil War for both North and South. * the incredible exploits of British army officer John Henry Patterson in what is modern day Kenya * the Irish soldiers of the Seventh Cavalry at the Battle of the Little Bighorn * the Connaught Rangers Mutiny in India * the complete events of Dublin’s Bloody Sunday including shocking new evidence on the shootings at Croke Park These stories provide a glimpse of Irish history intersecting with that of other peoples and countries. The book is an exciting and eclectic mix that details some of the triumphs and the tragedies of the Irish at war.