Royal Irish Regiment (1992)

Last updated

Royal Irish Regiment (27th (Inniskilling) 83rd, 87th and The Ulster Defence Regiment)
R IRISH Cap Badge.png
Cap badge of the Royal Irish Regiment
Active1 July 1992–present
AllegianceFlag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom
BranchFlag of the British Army.svg  British Army
TypeLine Infantry
Role1st Battalion – Light Recce
2nd Battalion – Light infantry (Army Reserve)
SizeTwo battalions
Part of Union Division
Garrison/HQRHQ – Holywood
1st Battalion – Ternhill
2nd Battalion – Lisburn
Motto(s)"Faugh A Ballagh" (Irish)
"Clear the Way"
ColoursGreen, Black
MarchQuick – Killaloe
Slow – Eileen Alannah
Mascot(s) Irish Wolfhound (Brian Boru X)
Anniversaries Barrosa Day, 5 March; Somme Day, 1 July
Engagements Kosovo War
Sierra Leone Civil War
Operation Banner
Iraq War
War in Afghanistan
Commanders
Colonel-in-Chief The Duchess of Edinburgh
Colonel of
the Regiment		Major General Colin Weir
Commanding Officer 1st BattalionLieutenant Colonel Andy Bourne
Notable
commanders		Col Tim Collins [1]
Insignia
DZ Tactical Recognition Flash 1st Royal Irish DZF.svg
Tartan Saffron (pipes)
HackleGreen
From Royal Irish Rangers
AbbreviationR IRISH

The Royal Irish Regiment (27th (Inniskilling), 83rd, 87th and The Ulster Defence Regiment) (R IRISH) is an infantry regiment of the British Army. The regiment was founded in 1992 through the amalgamation of the Royal Irish Rangers and the Ulster Defence Regiment. Their oldest predecessor, the 27th Regiment of Foot, was first raised in June 1689 to fight in the Williamite War in Ireland. Other notable regiments in their lineage include the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, Royal Irish Rifles and the Royal Irish Fusiliers (Princess Victoria's).

Contents

The motto of the regiment is Faugh A Ballagh (Modern Irish: Fág an Bealach), derived from the Irish Gaelic phrase for "Clear the Way". This originates from the Peninsular War when Ensign Edward Keogh of the 87th Regiment of Foot let out the cry while capturing a French Imperial Eagle at the Battle of Barrosa. The Regimental Headquarters of the Royal Irish Regiment has been Palace Barracks in County Down, Northern Ireland since moving there in 2008.

History

With an antecedence reaching back to 1688, the regiment was formed in 1992. The creation followed the Options for Change proposals which recommended the amalgamation of the Royal Irish Rangers and the Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR). Most of the membership of the new regiment came from the UDR. This produced an overwhelmingly Ulster Protestant regiment with eleven battalions: [2]

The Home Service battalions, permanently based in Northern Ireland, filled the role formerly occupied by the UDR, assisting the Royal Ulster Constabulary (with a focus on combating militant Irish republicanism), in Northern Ireland during Operation Banner. The 1st and 2nd Battalions could serve worldwide as general service battalions. [3]

Because of its size, the regiment was removed from the King's Division and existed within its own division of infantry. In August 1993, the two regular battalions were amalgamated as the 1st battalion. [4]

In 2000 in Sierra Leone, whilst deployed to train government troops, eleven Royal Irish soldiers and their local army liaison officer were captured by the West Side Boys insurgents. Five hostages were later released and the remaining six were freed by the Special Air Service and The Parachute Regiment during Operation Barras: with the West Side Boys suffering severe casualties in the action. [5]

The 1st Battalion deployed to Iraq at the beginning of Operation Telic in March 2003, where they carried out operations in the south of the country. Its (now-retired) commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel Tim Collins was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire for distinguished service. [6]

The number of Home Service battalions were reduced to three by April 2003: [7]

In 2005, the Provisional Irish Republican Army announced an end to its armed campaign. In response the British government announced the end of Operation Banner, and with it the disbandment of the Home Service battalions. [8] A redundancy package was announced in March 2006. [9] The Home Service battalions were awarded the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross (CGC) by the Queen in Belfast on 6 October 2006. [10] The home service battalions were declared non-operational in October 2006, and disbanded in July 2007. [11] At the same time, the Royal Irish Rangers, then serving as the TA battalion, was renamed as 2nd Battalion, Royal Irish Regiment. [12]

The 1st Battalion returned from six months in Iraq on Op TELIC VI/VII in May 2006 having served in the Shaibah Logistics Base near Basra. Although the majority of the battalion was deployed around the MND(SE) area a single company was deployed to Baghdad. [13]

Three platoons of the 1st Battalion (Barrosa, Somme and Ranger Platoons) deployed to Afghanistan in 2006, as part of 16 Air Assault Brigade and supported 3rd Parachute Regiment, the latter forming 9 Platoon, C Coy, 3 PARA. They were involved in some of the heaviest fighting during HERRICK IV. Lance Corporal Paul Muirhead, Lance Corporal Luke McCulloch and Fijian Ranger Anare Draiva were killed by the Taliban during HERRICK IV. [14]

In summer 2007 the Regimental Headquarters moved from St Patrick's Barracks, Ballymena to Palace Barracks, Belfast. [15]

Both battalions deployed to Afghanistan in 2008, as part of 16 Air Assault Brigade. The 1st battalion provided Operational Mentoring and Liaison Teams (OMLTs) to assist in training the Afghan National Army (ANA) and Afghan National Police (ANP), and the 2nd battalion were the first Territorial Army company strength grouping to provide OMLT training from NATO forces. They were also the first TA Company to fully man Forward Operating Bases (FOBs) within the green zone. One company of the 1st Battalion, attached to 2 PARA, named Ranger Company, undertook offensive operations in the Sangin area of Helmand Province. The 1st Battalion lost Ranger Justin Cupples to an improvised explosive device (IED) during HERRICK VIII. [16]

Both battalions again deployed with 16 Air Assault Brigade to Afghanistan on HERRICK XIII from September 2010. Based in the southern part of Helmand, they lost Lance Corporal Stephen McKee, Ranger Aaron McCormick and Ranger David Dalzell during HERRICK XIII. [17]

Under the Defence in a Competitive Age programme and subsequent Future Soldier, the 1st Battalion will transfer to the 16 Air Assault Brigade. [18]

Current structure

The 1st Battalion (1 R IRISH) is a Light Recce Strike Infantry unit and comes under the 16 Air Assault Brigade Combat Team. Its personnel are based at Clive Barracks in Tern Hill. [19]

The 2nd Battalion (2 R IRISH) is an Army Reserve infantry unit and comes under the 19th Brigade. It is headquartered at Thiepval Barracks in Lisburn. [19]

Recruitment

The regiment recruits from both Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and those across the UK with Irish ancestry. [20]

Operational honours

Iraq

Afghanistan

Elizabeth Cross and Memorial Scrolls

Up to May 2010, 32 Elizabeth Cross and Memorial Scrolls have been issued to the families of Royal Irish personnel. [26]

Traditions

In memory of a 2006 battle in the Afghan town of Musa Qala, a new Regimental March, composed by Chris Attrill and commissioned by Larne Borough Council, was given to the regiment on Saturday 1 November 2008 in Larne, County Antrim, during an event in which the regiment was also presented with the 'Freedom of the Borough'. This gives the regiment the right to march through the town with "flags flying, bands playing and bayonets fixed". The March was named Musa Qala. [27]

The uniform combines elements of the uniform of the Royal Irish Rangers with the harp-and-crown cap badge of the Ulster Defence Regiment. [28]

Sticks made of blackthorn are carried by commissioned officers of the Royal Irish Regiment. [29]

Colonel-in-Chief

Regimental Colonels

Colonels of the regiment have been: [33]

Order of precedence

Preceded by Infantry Order of Precedence Succeeded by

Lineage

1880 [34] 1881 Childers Reforms [34] 1921 Name changes 1957 Defence White Paper 1966 Defence White Paper 1990 Options for Change 2003 Delivering Security in a Changing World
27th (Inniskilling) Regiment of Foot The Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers The Royal Irish Rangers (27th (Inniskilling), 83rd and 87th) The Royal Irish Regiment
108th (Madras Infantry) Regiment of Foot
83rd (County of Dublin) Regiment of Foot The Royal Irish Rifles The Royal Ulster Rifles
86th (Royal County Down) Regiment of Foot
87th (Royal Irish Fusiliers) Regiment of Foot Princess Victoria's (Royal Irish Fusiliers) The Royal Irish Fusiliers (Princess Victoria's)
89th (Princess Victoria's) Regiment of Foot
The Ulster Defence Regiment

Alliances

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Regiment of Fusiliers</span> Infantry regiment of the British Army

The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers is an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Queen's Division. Currently, the regiment has two battalions: the 1st Battalion, part of the Regular Army, is an armoured infantry battalion based in Tidworth, Wiltshire, and the 5th Battalion, part of the Army Reserve, recruits in the traditional fusilier recruiting areas across England. The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers was largely unaffected by the infantry reforms that were announced in December 2004, but under the Army 2020 reduction in the size of the Army, the 2nd Battalion was merged into the first in 2014.

The Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR) was an infantry regiment of the British Army established in 1970, with a comparatively short existence ending in 1992. Raised through public appeal, newspaper and television advertisements, their official role was the "defence of life or property in Northern Ireland against armed attack or sabotage" but unlike troops from Great Britain they were never used for "crowd control or riot duties in cities". At the time the UDR was the largest infantry regiment in the British Army, formed with seven battalions plus another four added within two years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Gurkha Rifles</span> Infantry regiment of the British Army

The Royal Gurkha Rifles (RGR) is a rifle regiment of the British Army, forming part of the Brigade of Gurkhas. Unlike other regiments in the British Army, RGR soldiers are recruited from Nepal, which is neither a dependent territory of the United Kingdom nor a member of the Commonwealth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment</span> Infantry regiment of the British Army

The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment is the senior English line infantry regiment of the British Army, second in the line infantry order of precedence to the Royal Regiment of Scotland and part of the Queen's Division.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Yorkshire Regiment</span> Infantry regiment of the British Army

The Royal Yorkshire Regiment is an infantry regiment of the British Army, created by the amalgamation of three historic regiments in 2006. It lost one battalion as part of the Army 2020 defence review. The regiment's recruitment area covers the ceremonial counties of the East Riding of Yorkshire, North Yorkshire, South Yorkshire and West Yorkshire; areas near Barnsley are recruitment area for the Rifles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Anglian Regiment</span> Infantry regiment of the British Army

The Royal Anglian Regiment is an infantry regiment of the British Army. It consists of two Regular battalions and one Reserve battalion. The modern regiment was formed in 1964, making it the oldest of the Line Regiments now operating in the British Army, and can trace its history back to 1685. The regiment was the first of the large infantry regiments and is one of the three regiments of the Queen's Division.

The Royal Irish Rangers was a regular infantry regiment of the British Army with a relatively short existence, formed in 1968 and later merged with the Ulster Defence Regiment in 1992 to form the Royal Irish Regiment.

The Rifles is an infantry regiment of the British Army. Formed in 2007, it consists of four Regular battalions and three Reserve battalions. Each Regular battalion of The Rifles was formerly an individual battalion of one of the two large regiments of the Light Division. Since formation, the regiment has been involved in combat operations in the later stages of the Iraq War and in the War in Afghanistan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Ulster Rifles</span> British Army infantry regiment

The Royal Irish Rifles was an infantry rifle regiment of the British Army, first created in 1881 by the amalgamation of the 83rd Regiment of Foot and the 86th Regiment of Foot. The regiment saw service in the Second Boer War, the First World War, the Second World War, and the Korean War.

The Royal Scots Borderers, 1st Battalion, the Royal Regiment of Scotland was an infantry battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland. The battalion formed on 1 August 2006 when its antecedent regiments - the Royal Scots and the King's Own Scottish Borderers - amalgamated just after the formation of the Royal Regiment of Scotland in 2006. On 1 December 2021, the battalion transferred to the new Ranger Regiment as the 1st Battalion, Ranger Regiment.

The 19th Brigade is an Army Reserve formation of the British Army. As the 19th Infantry Brigade, it fought in the First and Second World War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Headquarters Northern Ireland</span> Military unit

HQ Northern Ireland was the formation responsible for the British Army in and around Northern Ireland. It was established in 1922 and disbanded, replaced by a brigade-level Army Reserve formation, 38 (Irish) Brigade, in 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Irish Fusiliers</span> Former regiment of the British Army

The Royal Irish Fusiliers (Princess Victoria's) was an Irish line infantry regiment of the British Army, formed by the amalgamation of the 87th (Prince of Wales's Irish) Regiment of Foot and the 89th (Princess Victoria's) Regiment of Foot in 1881. The regiment's first title in 1881 was Princess Victoria's (Royal Irish Fusiliers), changed in 1920 to the Royal Irish Fusiliers (Princess Victoria's). Between the time of its formation and Irish independence, it was one of eight Irish regiments.

1st Regiment Royal Horse Artillery is a regiment of the Royal Horse Artillery in the British Army. It currently serves in the armoured field artillery role, and is equipped with the AS90 self-propelled gun. The regiment is currently based at Larkhill Garrison, Larkhill. The regiment completed its move from Assaye Barracks, Tidworth, to Larkhill in June 2019.

This is the Operation Herrick ground order of battle, which lists any British ground forces that have taken part in the duration of Operation Herrick between 2002 and 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1st Battalion, Ulster Defence Regiment</span> Military unit

1st Battalion, Ulster Defence Regiment was formed in 1970 as part of the 7 original battalions specified in The Ulster Defence Regiment Act 1969, which received Royal Assent on 18 December 1969 and was brought into force on 1 January 1970. It was amalgamated with the 9th Battalion, Ulster Defence Regiment in 1984 to form the 1st/9th Battalion, Ulster Defence Regiment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2nd Battalion, Ulster Defence Regiment</span> Military unit

2nd Battalion, Ulster Defence Regiment was formed in 1970 as part of the seven original battalions specified in the Ulster Defence Regiment Act 1969, which received royal assent on 18 December 1969 and was brought into force on 1 January 1970. It was, along with the rest of the regiment, amalgamated with the Royal Irish Rangers in 1992 to form the Royal Irish Regiment. It had previously been amalgamated in 1991 with the 11th Battalion Ulster Defence Regiment to form the 2nd/11th Battalion Ulster Defence Regiment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">11th Battalion, Ulster Defence Regiment</span> Formation of the Land Forces in Northern Ireland (CLFNI)

The 11th (Craigavon) Battalion, Ulster Defence Regiment was formed from companies of the 2nd Battalion Ulster Defence Regiment and the 3rd Battalion Ulster Defence Regiment in 1972. In 1991 under the reductions planned in Options for Change by the British Army, it again amalgamated with 2 UDR to form the 2nd/11th Battalion Ulster Defence Regiment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">9th Battalion, Ulster Defence Regiment</span> Military unit

The 9th Battalion, Ulster Defence Regiment was formed in 1972 from two companies of the 1st Battalion Ulster Defence Regiment creating a second battalion in County Antrim. It was amalgamated with 1 UDR in 1984 to form 1/9 UDR.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1st/9th Battalion, Ulster Defence Regiment</span> Infantry battalion in the British Army

The 1st/9th Battalion, Ulster Defence Regiment was formed in 1984 as a result of an amalgamation between the 1st Battalion Ulster Defence Regiment and the 9th Battalion Ulster Defence Regiment.

References

  1. 1 2 Sivills-McCann, David (13 September 2021). "Massed Bands From All Four Of Army's Irish Regiments Share The Stage". Forces Network. Retrieved 13 September 2021.
  2. ↑ "Irish regiment marches ahead: Christopher Bellamy reports on the new Army regiment that marks the demise of the UDR". The Independent. 30 June 1992. Retrieved 1 May 2016.
  3. ↑ "The Army". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard) . 24 February 1993. Retrieved 1 May 2016.
  4. ↑ "History of the Regiment". Ministry of Defence. Retrieved 1 May 2016.
  5. ↑ "Eyewitness: Held by the West Side Boys". BBC News. 30 August 2000. Retrieved 16 October 2007.
  6. ↑ "No. 57100". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 October 2003. p. 3.
  7. ↑ "Royal Irish Regiment Home Battalions". UK Parliament. 29 April 2003. Retrieved 1 May 2016.
  8. ↑ "Royal Irish units to be disbanded". BBC. 2 August 2005. Retrieved 1 May 2016.
  9. ↑ "NI soldiers getting £250m pay-off". BBC News. 9 March 2006. Retrieved 16 October 2007.
  10. ↑ "Queen awards Conspicuous Gallantry Cross to the Royal Irish Regiment". 6 October 2006. Archived from the original on 9 October 2006. Retrieved 16 October 2007.
  11. ↑ "Royal Irish Regiment". Ballymoney. Retrieved 1 May 2016.
  12. ↑ "Irish Rangers/North Irish Militia". British Army units 1945 on. Retrieved 1 May 2016.
  13. ↑ "1 R IRISH deploys to Iraq". Royal Irish. Retrieved 1 May 2016.
  14. ↑ "Fallen heroes brought home". Oxford Mail. 12 September 2006. Retrieved 1 May 2016.
  15. ↑ "NI: 1,500 jobs to be axed as army bases are closed". Breaking News. 10 May 2006. Retrieved 1 May 2016.
  16. ↑ "Ranger Justin James Cupples killed in Afghanistan". Ministry of Defence. 5 September 2008. Retrieved 1 May 2016.
  17. ↑ "Duke of York awards Elizabeth Cross to soldiers killed in Afghanistan". The Telegraph. 18 June 2011. Retrieved 1 May 2016.
  18. ↑ British Army, August 2021 Soldier Magazine . Retrieved 13 August 2021.
  19. 1 2 "Transforming the British Army: An update" (PDF). Ministry of Defence. p. 9. Retrieved 1 May 2016.
  20. ↑ "Information regarding the recruiting areas of each infantry battalion" (PDF).
  21. ↑ "Soldier talks of 'occupational hazards'". BBC. 19 October 2006. Retrieved 16 October 2007.
  22. ↑ "Operational Honours and Awards List". MOD Website – Op TELIC Awards. 18 March 2005. Archived from the original on 18 March 2005. Retrieved 16 October 2007.
  23. 1 2 "Operational Honours and Awards List". Ministry of Defence. 30 September 2011. Retrieved 5 April 2012.
  24. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Operational Honours and Awards List". Ministry of Defence. 6 March 2009. Archived from the original on 10 March 2009. Retrieved 6 March 2009.
  25. ↑ "Armed Forces Operational Honours". The Daily Telegraph. London. 14 December 2006. Retrieved 28 November 2007.
  26. ↑ "Response to a Freedom of Information Act request". Ministry of Defence. 15 June 2010. Retrieved 11 June 2010.
  27. ↑ "New march to be gifted at Larne ceremony". Newsletter. 1 November 2008. Retrieved 1 May 2016.
  28. ↑ "The Royal Irish Regiment". The Royal Irish Rangers Association. Retrieved 14 May 2017.
  29. ↑ "Ireland's Blackthorn Stick". Tintean. Archived from the original on 2 June 2016. Retrieved 1 May 2016.
  30. ↑ "Prince Andrew's military affiliations and royal patronages returned to the Queen". Sky News. 13 January 2022. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  31. ↑ "Funary Monuments & Memorials in St Patrick's Cathedral, Armagh" Curl, J.S. p60: Whitstable; Historical Publications; 2013 ISBN   978-1-905286-48-5
  32. ↑ "Further Military Appointments for Members of the Royal Family". The Royal Family. 11 August 2023. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
  33. ↑ "The Royal Irish Regiment (27th (Inniskilling) 83rd and 87th and Ulster Defence Regiment)". regiments.org. Archived from the original on 3 January 2007. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
  34. 1 2 The London Gazette, Page 3300-3301 (1 July 1881). "Childers Reform". No. 24992. Government of the United Kingdom. Retrieved 27 October 2016.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.