Irish History
And
The Fighting Irish
And
The Fighting Irish
Trim Castle, Trim, Co Meath
The British Army had always used Irishmen. Infact it has been said " The British Empire was won by the Irish, administered by the Scots and Welsh and the profits went to the English. " In recent years the last line was amended to read " Lost by the English " The Normans used Irish mercenaries in France, Wales and Scotland. The majority of the Tudor Army in Ireland was Irish, as were Tudor troops abroad. Queen Elizabeth I even raised her own Galloglas unit konwn as ' The Queen Majesty's Galloglas. ' In 1707 the British had six Irish Regiments. By 1713 this had dropped to 2, but later raised to 5 Irish Regiments. However it was estimated that by 1860 some two thirds of the British Army including the English County Regiments was constituted by Irishmen or their decendants.
" REMEMBER YOU ARE WARRIORS DESCENDED FROM A WARLIKE RACE "
" Your Celtic blood gives tou a taste for war. From the time when the Danes landed in Irelandat the close of the 8th century, down to this blessed day, Ireland has been fighting - war with the Danes for 300 years; war with the Saxon for 800 years. The Irish soldier has always had the glory upon his head of the man whose courage, in the hour of danger, can be relied upon. Every nation in Europe has had a taste of what Ireland's courage is. Irish soldiers fought in the armies of Austria, where they were in the field for 30 years. They fought in the armies of Spain. They fought in the armies of France and Russia. They were admired and respected, and never did they turn their backs and retire. Your fathers had a love for Ireland; they knew how to prize it. The glory of the faith has never been tarnished; the glory of the national honour that has never been bowed down to acknowledge itself a slave. And my friends the burden and responsibility of that glory is yours and mine today, in this place to be - of all other men - what an Irishman must be, because of that glorious history. You and i this afternoon are bound to show the world what Irishmen have been in the ages before us, and what they intend to be in the ages to come. A nation that has never allowed a stain to be fixed upon the national banner. A nation who in spite of its hard fate and its misfortunes, can still look the world in the face, or on Ireland's virgin brow no stain of dishonour has ever been placed. "
" WAR IS NO STRANGER TO THE it is in their blood "
It is one of history's richer and more puzzling paradoxes that Irishmen have served the British Crown for many centuries despite the ambivalent relationship between the nations. Even at the most strained periods, a significant proportion of both officers and men in the British Army have been of Irish origin. They range from Field Marshals,
such as Arthur Wellesley, the first Duke of Wellington, Henry Wilson and Alexander of Tunis to name but three, to the ordianry private soldier on the ground. All have played their part and more, in weaving the rich tapestry of British Military History. The first soldier to be nominated for a Victoria Cross was Irishman, Charles Lucas from Drumargole, Co Armagh. Sixty years later Lieutenant James Dease from West Meath was the first receipient
( postumous ) of the same accolade in the First World War.
Remarkably the tradition of service proved strong enough to survive the pain of partition which saw the demise of so many proud Irish Regiments. Irishmen from both sides of the border continued to rally to the call and perhaps even more remarkably live and fight together as comrades-in-arms in regiments such as the Irish Guards despite religious and social differences that would have precluded contact let alone friendship, back in their native land.
Irishmen have brought much more than numbers to the British Army. Their humour and resilience in the face of hardship, their fighting qualities and their sense of duty and pride have long been recognised by friend and foe alike.
such as Arthur Wellesley, the first Duke of Wellington, Henry Wilson and Alexander of Tunis to name but three, to the ordianry private soldier on the ground. All have played their part and more, in weaving the rich tapestry of British Military History. The first soldier to be nominated for a Victoria Cross was Irishman, Charles Lucas from Drumargole, Co Armagh. Sixty years later Lieutenant James Dease from West Meath was the first receipient
( postumous ) of the same accolade in the First World War.
Remarkably the tradition of service proved strong enough to survive the pain of partition which saw the demise of so many proud Irish Regiments. Irishmen from both sides of the border continued to rally to the call and perhaps even more remarkably live and fight together as comrades-in-arms in regiments such as the Irish Guards despite religious and social differences that would have precluded contact let alone friendship, back in their native land.
Irishmen have brought much more than numbers to the British Army. Their humour and resilience in the face of hardship, their fighting qualities and their sense of duty and pride have long been recognised by friend and foe alike.
Ireland's Warrior People
From the time that the ancestors of the Irish people, the Celts appeared in history, their military prowess was recorded by their neighbours who generally found difficulty in living with them. The Romans feared Celtic military power, but Celtic auxiliary troops were instrumental in Roman victories over firece tribes like the Helveti of Switzerland and were particularly appreciated by Caesar in the fighting against their Celtic Kinsman, the Belgic tribes of Northern France. By 52BC independent Celtic tribes were to be found only in Britain and Ireland.
The Roman Historian Tacitus, writing of the first century, viewed the manner of life of the Irish as the very essence of savagery. A brutal pagan culture existed in Ireland long after it had disappeared in Europe. In the ancient Irish Celtic Literature the exemplar of martial prowess as ' Cuchulainn ' a heroic being with supernatural powers and a fearsome avatar for savage people always at war. Irish sagas portray a culture devoted to the glorification of warfare, in which was a demand for heroism: " to be wounded in the back while fleeing from an enemy lost the King his status in ancient Irish law. "
The Roman Historian Tacitus, writing of the first century, viewed the manner of life of the Irish as the very essence of savagery. A brutal pagan culture existed in Ireland long after it had disappeared in Europe. In the ancient Irish Celtic Literature the exemplar of martial prowess as ' Cuchulainn ' a heroic being with supernatural powers and a fearsome avatar for savage people always at war. Irish sagas portray a culture devoted to the glorification of warfare, in which was a demand for heroism: " to be wounded in the back while fleeing from an enemy lost the King his status in ancient Irish law. "
Irish Legend and Warrior ' Finn MacCool '
Long before the actual forming of the British Army, Irish soldiers were in great demand to fight for the Crown. Edward I and Edward II used Irish mercenaries during their Scottis Wars, the Hobelars or mounted lancers being of value in the Scottish terrain. Also in demand by Ulster Chieftains and other Irish warlords were the Galloglass or foreign warriors, heavily armed mercenary foot soldiers, a fiery mixture of Irish. Scots and Norse blood, essentially Gaelic in tongue and custom, from the Scottish Isles, elite families who with lighter armed Irish Kern, also Infantry, became the backbone of most native Irish armies from the late 13th century. Henry VIII employed the savage Irish Kern whose reputation was such that they were hated in both France and Scotland. He saw that the absence from Ireland of these fierce warriors ' should rather do good than hurt ' a viewpoint of Irish soldiers echoed centuries later in the Irish Penal law times.
During the reign of Elizabeth I Irish soldiers were allowed to serve in the English Army from 1563 and under the Lord Deputy, Sir John Perrott, certain Irishmen were allowed to raise ' companies...of their own countrymen ' The Irish Council said in June 1598, that three-quarters of the Queen's troops then in Ireland were Irish. To the English Ireland was full of ' barbarians '. Nothing could be more further from the truth. Her courtiers saw with wonder the wholly Gaelic appearance of the Second Earl of Tyrone, the great Hugh O' Neill's Celtic party in London, in defiance of previous Tudor legislation: They presented a fantastic site.
During the reign of Elizabeth I Irish soldiers were allowed to serve in the English Army from 1563 and under the Lord Deputy, Sir John Perrott, certain Irishmen were allowed to raise ' companies...of their own countrymen ' The Irish Council said in June 1598, that three-quarters of the Queen's troops then in Ireland were Irish. To the English Ireland was full of ' barbarians '. Nothing could be more further from the truth. Her courtiers saw with wonder the wholly Gaelic appearance of the Second Earl of Tyrone, the great Hugh O' Neill's Celtic party in London, in defiance of previous Tudor legislation: They presented a fantastic site.
Their hair was long: fringes hanging down to cover their eyes.
They wore shirts with long sleeves dyed with saffron, short tunics
and shaggy cloaks. Some walked with bare feet, others wore leather sandles. The Galloglas carried battle-axes and wore long coats of mail.
They wore shirts with long sleeves dyed with saffron, short tunics
and shaggy cloaks. Some walked with bare feet, others wore leather sandles. The Galloglas carried battle-axes and wore long coats of mail.
To understand the Irish soldier and his thinking we need to understand his history. The History of Ireland is complex and one of sheer brutality. It is a story of survival against all the odds. Hopefully the following chapters will give the reader some understanding as to why Irishmen made such brilliant soldiers, and why they fought in so many foreign armies and wars. I wish to dedicate these pages to all my country men who lived through the pain, misery and the hardships that were put upon them.
