Madam, - As some recent contributors have noted, it is indeed true that many of the Irish who fought for the British at Trafalgar had been press-ganged into service. It is also true that some of the Irish had volunteered, many to escape extreme poverty or in the hope of finding adventure and glory on the high seas.
The Combined Fleet also had many seamen who were aboard ships against their will. The Spanish navy in particular was known for rounding up prisoners and "undesirables" found living on the streets. Some historians cite as a major factor in its defeat the number of men in poor health who had no experience of fighting at sea.
It is thought that many Irish also fought on the side of the Combined Fleet, though actual numbers are difficult to estimate.
Irrespective of how or why these Irishmen ended up in their respective navies, once aboard ship there was no opportunity to leave and realistically the only option left was to fight and hope to survive.
I believe it was right that the Irish Navy participated at the recent bicentennial celebrations as a formal recognition of the contribution of Irishmen on both sides of the battle. The commemoration was was not about who won or lost - the French even sent the pride of their fleet, the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle.
As for the leaders of 1916 (Tom Cooper, July 20th), they were indeed heroes, but this seems to me an entirely separate issue to events such as Trafalgar. - Yours, etc,
CONOR O'KANE, Gloucester Road, Brighton, England.