This article is about the Notre Dame pageantry troupe. For the British Army regiment, see Irish Guards. For the Republic of Ireland police force, see Garda Síochána.
The Irish Guard is a group of uniformed students that leads the University of Notre Dame's Band of the Fighting Irish onto the field at home games. They are considered by some to be one of the integral parts in the pageantry, lore, and legend of Notre Dame football.
The Irish Guard was formed in 1951 as a part of the University of Notre Dame Marching Band. The unit was originally known as the Irish Piper Unit—the members played bagpipes—and debuted at the Notre Dame-Purdue football game on Oct. 27, 1951.[1]
Under the direction of Louis Snedden, of South Bend, the pipers had been practicing since the previous spring, Scholastic reported. Snedden was a piper aboard British ships, and trained a Reserve Pipe Band in England before immigrating to the U.S., Scholastic reported.
By 1953, the unit was known as the Irish Guard and the members no longer played instruments.
The uniform of the guard is based on the pattern of the traditional Scottish kilt and incorporated the unique Notre Dame tartan. Starting in the late 1950s, John Fyfe, a native of Glasgow, Scotland and an employee of the LOBUND Laboratory Notre Dame, provided members with training on the proper way to dress, march and comport themselves in public.[2]
They accompany the Notre Dame Marching Band at away games throughout the season, and at all home games at Notre Dame Stadium. The Irish Guard travels with the band to away games and marches with the band on campus. These traditions include the Victory Clog to the tune "Damhsa Bua" performed after every Irish football win.[3][pageneeded].
In 2002, the Irish Guard was banned from the Notre Dame-Pittsburgh game after some of the members were caught on TV sleeping on the sidelines at the Stanford game on October 5.[4]
Requirements
Members of the Irish Guard must demonstrate a refined marching technique, a dedication to university ideals, and, most importantly, stature and poise.
For decades, the Irish Guard was an all-male unit. In 2000, student Molly Kinder tried out and became the first female member of the unit.[5] There have been several more female guardsmen in the years since.
In 2014, Notre Dame Band Director Kenneth Dye instituted a policy that limited Irish Guard membership to students who had previously served for at least one year in the marching band as an instrumentalist or manager. The requirement that guardsmen stand at least 6 foot tall was eliminated. This policy change ended the decades-long tradition that allowed any Notre Dame student in good standing to tryout for the Irish Guard.[6]
The University of Notre Dame du Lac, known simply as Notre Dame, is a private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana. Founded in 1842 by members of the clerical Congregation of Holy Cross, the main campus of 1,261 acres has a suburban setting and contains landmarks such as the Golden Dome, the Word of Life mural, Notre Dame Stadium, and the basilica.
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are the athletic teams that represent the University of Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish participate in 26 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I intercollegiate sports and in the NCAA's Division I in all sports, with many teams competing in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). Notre Dame is one of only 16 universities in the United States that play Division I FBS football and Division I men's ice hockey. The school colors are gold and blue and the mascot is the Leprechaun. It was founded on November 23, 1887, with football in Notre Dame, Indiana.
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team is the college football team representing the University of Notre Dame in Notre Dame, Indiana, north of the city of South Bend, Indiana. The team plays its home games at the campus's Notre Dame Stadium, which has a capacity of 77,622. Notre Dame is one of three schools that competes as an Independent at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) level; however, they play five games a year against opponents from the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), of which Notre Dame is a member in all other sports except ice hockey.
Notre Dame Stadium is an outdoor football stadium in Notre Dame, Indiana, the home field of the University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team.
Alumni Hall is one of the 32 Residence Halls on the campus of the University of Notre Dame and one of the 16 male dorms. It is located on South Quad adjacent to "Main Circle", across from the law school building, and it hosts 234 undergraduates.
Walsh Hall is one of the 32 Residence Halls on the campus of the University of Notre Dame. Walsh is located on Main ("God") Quad, directly south of Sorin Hall and is directly north of the Knights of Columbus Building. It was built in 1909 and the architect was William J. Brinkmann. Among other buildings on the Main Quad of Notre Dame, Walsh Hall is on the National Register of Historic Places. The coat of arms is taken from the Walsh family.
The Notre Dame–Purdue football rivalry is an American college football rivalry between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team of the University of Notre Dame and Purdue Boilermakers football of Purdue University.
Dillon Hall is one of the 32 Residence Halls on the campus of the University of Notre Dame and one of the 17 male dorms. It is located directly west of Alumni Hall, which it acquired in 1988, and is directly adjacent to South Dining Hall on the west. Dillon was built in 1931 and renovated for the 2020-2021 school year and many of the first floor rooms were converted to living and study areas. It is named after Patrick Dillon, CSC, the second president of the university. The coat of arms is taken from the Dillon family. Together with other historic structures of the university, it is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Lyons Hall is one of the 32 Residence Halls on the campus of the University of Notre Dame and one of the 14 female dorms. It is located on South Quad, and constitutes the "Golden Coast" with Morrissey Hall and Howard Hall. Built in 1925-1927, it is dedicated to professor Joseph Lyons, and hosts 203 undergraduates. The coat of arms features a golden lion on a black field, representing an example of canting arms. Its arch overlooking St. Mary's lake is a campus landmark. Along with other buildings on Notre Dame's campus, it is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Howard Hall is one of the 32 Residence Halls on the campus of the University of Notre Dame and one of the 14 female dorms. It is located north of South Dining Hall on University of Notre Dame's South Quad, and is immediately surrounded by Badin Hall on the east, Morrissey Manor on the west, and Bond Hall on the north. Built in 1924–1925, it is dedicated to Timothy Edward Howard, and hosts 145 undergraduates. The coat of arms is based on that of the Howard family adapted to fit Howard Hall, changed to match those of the hall, and the lions were substituted with ducks.
The Notre Dame Rugby Football Club is the official rugby football club at the University of Notre Dame. It is the oldest collegiate rugby club in the Midwest and currently plays in the National Collegiate Rugby (NCR) D1, one of the highest levels of college rugby in the U.S.
The Band of the Fighting Irish is the marching band of the University of Notre Dame. Over 300 members of the band represent nearly every field of study, and include students from across the United States as well as from overseas. The Band of the Fighting Irish is composed of students from the University of Notre Dame, Saint Mary's College, and Holy Cross College. Founded in 1845, it is the oldest university marching band.
There are currently 32 undergraduate residence halls at the University of Notre Dame, including 31 active residence halls and Zahm Hall, which serves as a transition dorm when residence halls undergo construction. Several of the halls are historic buildings which are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Each residence hall is single-sex, with 17 all-male residence halls and 15 all-female residence halls. Notre Dame residence halls feature a mixed residential college and house system, where residence halls are the center of the student life and some academic teaching; most students stay at the same hall for most of their undergraduate studies. Each hall has its own traditions, events, mascot, sports teams, shield, motto, and dorm pride. The university also hosts Old College, an undergraduate residence for students preparing for the priesthood.
Notre Dame Football on NBC is an American presentation of college football games involving the Notre Dame Fighting Irish that are produced by NBC Sports, the sports division of the NBC television network in the United States. NBC Sports has broadcast all Notre Dame home games since September 7, 1991.
The Notre Dame Glee Club is a 75-voice, all-male choral ensemble at the University of Notre Dame. Founded in 1915 in the tradition of English and American glee clubs, it is the oldest Glee Club at a Catholic University in the United States.
Morrissey Hall is one of the 32 Residence Halls on the campus of the University of Notre Dame and one of the 16 male dorms. Built in 1925-1926, its architects were Vincent Fagan and Francis Kervick. Along with other buildings on Notre Dame's campus, it is on the National Register of Historic Places. It is referred to as Morrissey Manor by its residents.
The 1976 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team represented the University of Notre Dame during the 1976 NCAA Division I football season.
The 1887 Notre Dame football team represented the University of Notre Dame during the 1887 college football season.
Zahm Hall, also known as Zahm House, is a University of Notre Dame residence hall. The building was constructed in 1937 and is located directly east of St. Edward's Hall and is directly west of North Quad. Starting with the 2021-2022 school year, Zahm Hall hosts communities of residents whose halls are being renovated, starting with Sorin Hall.
James Anthony Mello was an American football player. He won two national championships at the University of Notre Dame and went on to play professionally between 1947 and 1950 as a member of the Boston Yanks, Chicago Rockets, Los Angeles Rams, Detroit Lions, and Paterson Panthers.
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