The speaker says that his destiny awaits him somewhere up in the sky. He bears no ill will towards the people he's fighting against, and has no particular loyalty to the ones he's fighting for. The country he belongs to is Kiltartan Cross (a small region in Ireland), and the people he sees as his countrymen are the poor residents of that area. No matter what happens in this battle, the people of Kiltartan Cross are unlikely either to benefit or to suffer as a result. It wasn't the force of the law, a feeling of duty, inspiring public figures, or public enthusiasm that made this airman join the fight. Instead an instinct, particular to him, drove him to do so. He considered every factor, and considered that both the oncoming years of his life and the past years felt pointless, whereas the life-or-death experience he is currently having feels more fulfilling.
An Irish Airman foresees his Death
