“Irish Life” was a newspaper which was published in Dublin in the early 20th Century. At the outbreak of the First World War, The newspaper published a supplement called “Our Heroes”, from which this database takes its name, and also publicised the principal events of the war in which Irish regiments were engaged.
The supplement contained 1,600 photographs and biographical notes of officers in Irish regiments and of Irish officers of British regiments who fell in action, or who were mentioned for distinguished conduct from 1914 to 1918.
The database takes its name from the publication from which the biographies and images were sourced.
The biographical details and photographs contained in the “Our Heroes” supplement are now available for the first time, free to search online. It also contains details of the dates of death and final place of burial or commemoration, which were not included in the original work.
This project is a valuable addition to Ireland’s Decade of Centenaries. Historians, researchers and students alike will find this resource a valuable tool, allowing interrogation of the original text to find not only servicemen's names, but everything that was contained in the original biographies - school names, rugby clubs, counties and much more besides.
The information contained within this database has all-Ireland importance. It is a snapshot of a cross section of the Irish officer class of the British Army, alongside the privates and NCOs listed among them who bravely distinguished themselves in the field or were killed in action.