IRELAND, GERMANY AND THE NEXT WAR In the February, 1913, _Fortnightly Review_, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle at the end of an article, "Great Britain and the Next War," thus appeals to Ireland to recognize that her interests are one with those of Great Britain in the eventual defeat of the latter: "I would venture to say one word here to my Irish fellow-countrymen of all political persuasions.

If they imagine that they can stand politically or economically while Britain falls they are woefully mistaken.

The British fleet is their one shield.

If it be broken Ireland will go down.

They may well throw themselves heartily into the common defence, for no sword can transfix England without the point reaching Ireland behind her...." I propose to briefly show that Ireland, far from sharing the calamities that must necessarily fall on Great Britain from defeat by a great power, might conceivably thereby emerge into a position of much prosperity.
I will agree with Sir A.Conan Doyle up to this--that the defeat of Great Britain by Germany must be the cause of a momentous change to Ireland: but I differ from him in believing that that change must necessarily be disastrous to Ireland.