Ireland's Military Story

Tag: Irish Regiments

  • Disbandment of Irish Regiments Remembered

    Disbandment of Irish Regiments Remembered

    Disbandment of Irish Regiments Remembered

    Photos by Peter Molloy and John O’Byrne


    Sunday 12 June marks the centenary of the disbandment of the Irish regiments of the British Army from the south of Ireland.
    On 12 June 1922, King George V received the Colours of The Royal Irish Regiment, The Connaught Rangers, The Prince of Wales’s Leinster Regiment, The Royal Munster Fusiliers and The Royal Dublin Fusiliers for safekeeping at Windsor Castle where they remain to this day. The South Irish Horse disbanded on 31 July that year.
    To mark the centenary the Combined Irish Regiments Association held a parade at the Cenotaph in London this morning, while in Dublin the regimental associations will held a service in St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin.

    The Combined Irish Regiments Association organised a wonderful parade to mark the occasion. Standards were paraded in to the music of The Pipes and Drums – London Irish Rifles Association. Members on parade included the Royal British Legion, the Leinster Regiment Association, Irish Guards, Royal Irish Regiment, and the Irish Defence Forces, along with veterans and family descendants of those who served.

    At St. Patrick’s Cathedral, the beautiful service also remembered the disbandment of the South Irish Horse. The event was organised by the Royal Dublin Fusiliers Association on behalf of all the regimental associations including: the Royal Munster Fusiliers, Connaught Rangers, 18th Reg of Foot Royal Irish Regiment Association, and the Leinster Regiment association.
    To the pipes of Anthony Byrne, the regimental standards marched through the cathedral to the ‘Last of the Great Whales’. A beautiful ceremony followed with regimental songs sung by the St. Patrick’s Cathedral choir.
    In attendance was the Lord Mayor of Dublin, Cllr Alison Gilliland, Ambassadors, members of the Oireachtas, the Irish Defence Forces, the Royal Irish Regiment, and descendants and family of those who served in the regiments.
    Lest we forget.

  • Tipperary Studies Launch Irish Great War Dead Archive

    Tipperary Studies Launch Irish Great War Dead Archive

    Tipperary Studies Launch Irish Great War Dead Archive

    Armistice Day, 11 November, each year marks the ending of the Great War 1914 – 1918. Marking the day this year Tipperary Studies have launched a new digital archive dedicated to Ireland’s Great War dead: www.irelandsgreatwardead.ie. The archive contains a database of 31,384 war dead entries of servicemen and servicewomen from the 26 counties of the Rep. of Ireland, in so far as the information is known. Work continues to record the names of the Great War dead from the six counties in Northern Ireland. Expanding on the list of entries recorded in Ireland’s Memorial Records, the database gives added detail about family connections, residence, where such has been identified.

    The archive is the work of military historian Tom Burnell. Tom has spent almost twenty years researching the Great War dead from Ireland and some added features of Tom’s research also includes contemporary press reports and death certificate information, where such was available to him. Tom offered this database of work to Tipperary Studies, to host, so that his research, the genealogical information and records therein would be available to a wider audience. There are various search options available, where people can use the search box to view specific entries and categories. Searches may also be filtered by Regiment or Service.

    A map of the war dead graves in Tipperary, from the two World Wars, is also included. Tom has photographed all grave memorials, and coupled with directions to each site, they give a local aspect to his research. The website also includes a list of several online resources from Ireland and around the world, that will help users delve deeper into the Great War period.

    Royal Irish Rifles ration party, Somme, July 1916.

    The database begins with Lance Corporal John Abbey from Baltinglass, County Wicklow. Serving with 1st Battalion Irish Guards, he was killed in action at Givenchy on 8 August 1915. He is buried in the Guards Cemetery, Windy Corner, France.

    The database ends with Rifleman Richard Zimber. Born in New Ross County Wexford, he served with 4th Battalion King’s Royal Rifle Corps under the alias Richard Frederick Cairns. He was killed in action on 8 May 1915. He is listed on the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial, Belgium.

    We will remember them.

    You can visit the website here: https://irelandsgreatwardead.ie/

    On Sunday evening next, 14 November, both Tom Burnell and Pat Bracken will feature on The History Show, with Myles Dungan, to talk about the new website in a special Remembrance Sunday episode of the programme. The programme airs from 6:00pm to 7:00pm.

    Located above the Source Library and Arts Centre, Thurles, Tipperary Studies is dedicated to documenting and preserving the County’s rich cultural, social, economic and sporting histories, and aims to offer open, friendly and easy access to the Library’s collections to visitors both in person and through correspondence.