Denis Kelly joined the Irish Guards, "the pride of the British Army" in 1914 while he was living in England. He says of signing up,

"Why did I join? Well I tell you I had nothing at home here. There was nothing in it. No work or no money or nothing. And me father and mother was dead and I said I was probably going to be killed one way or the other. That was it."

An interview with First World War veteran Denis Kelly from Dysart, in Roscommon for the series 'Looking West' broadcast 05 January 1981.

'Looking West' was a series presented by Jim Fahy looking at people, places and events in the west of Ireland.

The photograph accompanying this clip shows John Redmond addressing a recruiting meeting at Wexford in 1914.

The photographer was Joseph Cashman
© RTÉ Stills Library 0510/068

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