UCG and the First World War: The National University of Ireland First World War Centenary Roll of Honour
If you ever go across the sea to Ireland: University College Galway (UCG), as it was known then, was profoundly changed by the First World War. Many students and alumni rushed to enlist. They included an eccentric doctor Arthur Colahan who wrote the song Galway Bay and the son of the College president, who was thought to have died in a flying accident, but returned only to change his name and disappear. Journalist and First World War historian Ronan McGreevy has told the story of UCG and the First World War in the book The National University of Ireland First World War Centenary Roll of Honour and Essays which he co-edited with Dr Emer Purcell.
Ronan McGreevy is an Irish Times journalist and the author of several books including Wherever the Firing Line Extends: Ireland and the Western Front and Great Hatred: The Assassination of Field Marshal Sir Henry Wilson MP. He recently appeared as a guest on ‘The Rest is History’ podcast. He is a First World War tour guide with GTI Travel and was made a Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres by the French government in 2018. He is a graduate of the University of Galway.
Date: Monday 8 September 2025
Time: 20:00/8pm
Venue: Harbour Hotel, Galway