The Royal Regiment of Ireland, as it was once known, traces its origin to independent companies of foot, retained in pay for the purpose of garrisoning Ireland in the days of the Commonwealth. These companies were then regimented on the Irish Establishment by King Charles II in 1683-84. Like other Irish and Scotch corps, it takes rank from the time it was first brought on the English Establishment, which was in 1689. The regiment fought under King William III at the battle of the Boyne, and throughout the Irish campaigns down to the fall of Limerick.

The 18th Foot next served afloat as marines, and then went to Flanders, where its splendid valour at the assault on the Castle of Namur, on 20th August 1695, won for it the admiration of the whole army. In recognition of its deeds on this, occasion King William conferred upon it the right of displaying the badge of the Harp and Crown, and that of the Lion of Nassau, with the explanatory legend. The badges were directed to be displayed, each on in azure field, on the colours, which then were white, with the red saltire of Ireland throughout.

The regiment went back to Ireland soon after 1695 and it is curious to note that between Ostend and Cork the vessel carrying it was chased, and but for the soldiers have been taken by a Salee rover. The regiment went to the Low Countries, again in 1701, and served with much distinction throughout Marlborough's campaigns at: The Sphynx, Schellenburg, Blenheim, Ramillies, Oudenarde, Malplaquet, at the sieges of Liege, Lisle, Tournay, Aire, Bouchain, etc. It remained in Flanders until 1715, when it returned home.

From 1718 to 1742 it was stationed in Minorca, and during that time sent a detachment to aid in the defence of Gibraltar against the Spaniards in 1727. The regiment went to Flanders after the battle of Fontenoy in 1745, but returned again to England on account of the troubles in the North. It marched into Edinburgh as the guns were firing to announce the victor at Culloden; and for some years after that date was employed road-making in the Highlands.

The regiment was at home - most of the time in Ireland - during the Seven Years' War (1756 - 1763). It went to America in 1767, and was at Boston at the outbreak of the War of Independence. It was present at the Battle of Bunker's Hill, on Charlestown Heights on 17th June 1775, but left Boston for Nova Scotia soon after, and returned home in July 1776. During the rest of the war, the regiment was in England and the Channel Islands, and rendered good service in suppressing a dangerous mutiny in a newly-formed corps in Guernsey in 1783. It went to Gibraltar with the reliefs sent there at the conclusion of the famous siege in 1783, and was still on the Rock at the commencement of the French Revolutionary War.

The 18th had a highly varied time during that war. It was at the siege of Toulon in 1793, and at the reduction of Corsica in 1794. It was in Elba, in 1796 when that island was held half by the English and half by a French force. It was next employed in Tuscany in 1797, and in the same year a detachment served as marines in the great battle off Cape St. Vincent. After this the regiment was at Gibraltar, at Minorca in the demonstrations against Genoa and Cadiz, and ultimately it joined the expeditionary force under Sir Ralph Abercromby, with which it proceeded to Egypt. It fought in the several actions before Alexandria, and accompanied the force that ascended the Nile and captured Cairo, returning thence in time to witness the surrender of Alexandria. In October 1801, the regiment moved from Alexandria to Malta, and at the Peace of Amiens went again to Ireland.

At the renewal of the war in 1803, a second battalion was formed at Newry out of the army of reserve in Ireland. After a few years' home service, the two battalions, each 1,100 strong, went out to the West Indies. The first battalion was part of the reinforcements sent to Jamaica in 1805, before Trafalgar had dissipated the dangers menacing our West Indian possessions. It served in the expedition to San Domingo in 1809, afterwards returning to Jamaica. It came home in 1817, having - incredible as it now appears - buried 50 officers and 3,000 men belonging to the battalion during its twelve years' sojourn. The second battalion went to Curacoa in 1807, and returned home in a skeleton state in 1810. It was disbanded in 1814.

The regiment, now a single battalion corps, served in Malta and the Ionian Islands from 1821 to 1832, and in 1837 proceeded to Ceylon, and afterwards to Madras. It bore a prominent and distinguished part in the first Chinese War of 1840-42, its services in which are commemorated by the Dragon badge, which, side by side with the Sphinx, figured among the battle honours on the colours. From China the regiment went to India, but was sent back to China, and took part in the operations on the Canton River in 1847, after which it was again in India. The regiment served through the Burmese War of 1851-2.

Returning home on the outbreak of the Russian War, the 18th was, speedily in the field once more. It joined the army in the Crimea in December 1854, and was present at the siege of Sevastopol, including the attack on the Cemetery on 18th June 1855. It returned from the Crimea in July, and afterwards again served in India from November 1857 to July 1866.

A second battalion was again formed in 1858, mainly of volunteers from the Irish Militia. It was sent to New Zealand in 1863, and went through the Maori Wars of 1863-66, not the least remarkable among the many striking episodes in the long, varied, and distinguished history of the regiment. It returned home from Australia in 1871. The 2nd Battalion went to Egypt and served in the Egyptian Campaign of 1882, including the affairs at Kasassin and the battle of Tel-el-Kebir. The 2nd Battalion in 1885 proceeded to Malta, and subsequently to India where it is still (1899) serving. It took part in Hazara Campaign of 1888, and also in the trying operations on the North-West Frontier, under Sir William Lockhart, in 1897.

The 1st Battalion to Malta in 1872, and after a turn of service on that island went on to India. It was employed on the Khyber line during the Afghan Campaigns, of 1879-80. In 1884 the 1st Battalion proceeded to Egypt and took part in the Nile Expedition, where its services in the boats won Lord Wolseley's prize of £100. The splendid fighting qualities displayed by it in the desert are of too recent date to need recapitulation. The battalion returned home in 1885.

World War I

In World War I, the Royal Irish Regiment raised a total of 10 battalions from the pre-war two regular and two reserve battalions. The additional battalions included two service battalions in Kitchener's First and Second Armies, a battalion formed in 1917 from the dismounted South Irish Horse, a further service battalion and two Garrison Battalions. The regiment won 42 battle honours and one Victoria Cross, but lost 2,780 men as casualties.

The 1st Battalion was in Nasirabad, India in 1914 and embarked at Bombay on 19 Oct 1914, arriving at Devonport, moving to Winchester as part of 82nd Brigade in 27th Division. In December 1914 it went to France and Flanders. In November 1915 it was redeployed to Salonika on the Macedonian front in 30th Brigade of 10th Division. In Sep 1917 it withdrew to Egypt and ended the war in Palestine.

The 2nd Battalion was in Devonport in Aug 1914 in the 8th Brigade of 3rd Division. It landed at Boulogne on 14 Aug 1914 as part of the British Expeditionary Force. The battalion remained in France and Flanders for the duration, serving in a number of formations.

The 5th (Service) Battalion formed at Clonmel on 29 Aug 1914 as part of 29th Brigade in the 10th Division. It sailed to England in May 1915 and was reroled as a Pioneer battalion. It sailed to Gallipoli from Liverpool on 7 Jul 1915 landing at Suvla Bay on 7 Aug 1915. The battalion was withdrawn from Gallipoli and redeployed to Salonika on Oct 1915 and then to Alexandria, Egypt in Sep 1917. From Egypt, the battalion sailed for France and spent the remained of the war in France.

The 6th (Service) Battalion formed at Clonmel on 6 Sep 1914 in 47th Brigade in the 16th Division. In Mar 1915, it was joined by a company from the Guernsey Militia. It was at Fermoy until Sep 1915 and then moved to Aldershot. In Dec 1915 it landed in France and remained there until Feb 1918, when it was disbanded, the remaining personnel being reassigned to the 2nd and 7th Battalions.

The 7th (South Irish Horse) Battalion was formed in France on 1 Sep 1917 from the dismounted 1st and 2nd South Irish Horse. (The two yeomanry regiments had been in I and XVIII Corps in France, but were dismounted in Aug 1917 for retraining as infantry.) On 14 Oct 1917 the battalion was attached to 49th Brigade in 16th Division at Ervillers. On 18 Apr 1918 the battalion was reduced to a cadre and on 28 Jun 1918 reformed with 500 all ranks from the Royal Dublin Fusiliers, 250 from the Royal Munster Fusiliers and 85 from the Royal Irish Regiment. On 4 Jul 1918 the battalion was transferred to 21st Brigade in 30th Division at Hellbroucq. It ended the war at Ellezelles, east of Renaix, in Belgium.

The 8th (Service) Battalion was formed as a Garrison battalion on 25 May 1918 from the 2nd (Garrison Guard) Battalion of the Royal Irish Regiment in 178th Brigade of 59th Division in France. On 13 Jul 1918 the (Garrison) term was removed. The battalion ended the war at Lannoy, south of Roubaix in France.

The 1st (Garrison) Battalion was formed at Dublin on 2 Aug 1915 and after service in England was despatched to the Dardanelles from Devonport on 24 Sep 1915. Based on Mudros Island, it sent working parties to Suvla Bay. On 5 Feb 1916, the battalion was transferred to Egypt where it remained for the duration.

The Royal Irish Regiment's service in World War I was marked by the following battle honours:

France and Flanders: Mons; Le Cateau; Retreat from Mons; Marne 1914; Aisne 1914; La Bassee 1914; Ypres 1915; Gravenstafel; St Julien; Frezenberg; Bellewarde; Somme 1916; Albert 1916; Bazentin; Delville Wood; Guillemont; Ginchy; Messines 1917; Ypres 1917; Plickem; Langemarck 1917; Somme 1918; St Quentin; Rosieres; Arras 1918; hamel; Albert 1918; Drocourt-Queant; Hindenburg Line; Epehy; Canal du Nord; St Quentin Canal; Beaurevoire; Cambrai 1918; Ypres 1918; Courtrai; Pursuit to Mons; France and Flanders 1914-1918.

Macedonia: Struma (1916); Macedonia 1915-1918.

The Dardenelles: Anzac; Suvla; Landing at Suvla; Gallipoli 1915-1916.

Egypt: Egypt 1915-1917.

Palestine: Gaza; Jerusalem; Jordan; Tell 'Asur; Palestine 1917-1918.

Disbandment

In 1922, on the creation of the Irish Free State, in common with five other Irish infantry regiments of the British Army, the Royal Irish Regiment was disbanded.

Text on this page © Iain Kerr. The Society would like to thank Iain Kerr, Phil Curme and James F. O' Sullivan for their invaluable help with this project.