Oh let the orange lilly be your badge
My patriot brother, the everlasting
Green for me, and we for one another.

" It was just like a field day, everthing seemed to go accordingly to plan. Streams of German prisoners kept on coming back. In the early part of the day i had a little difficulty with my signallers who got hold of a jar of rum from somewhere or other and were beginning to help themselves to it at about 08.00 with potentially disastrous results. I did the bravest thing i ever have done because i got hold of that said jar of rum and poured it on the ground with about 50 or 60 Irish soldiers! They made suitable noises but i lived to tell the tale. The signallers did not mutiny but did their stuff for the rest of the day and as a result collected one DCM and ten MMs between them! "

Lieutenant F.W.S Jourdain, 6th Battalion, Connaught Rangers, Battle of Messines Ridge.

  The Royal Munster
Fusiliers
2nd Battalion

The Royal Dublin
fusiliers

I saw the Connaught Rangers when they were passing by

On a spring day, a good day, with gold rifts in the sky.

Themselves were marching steadily along the Liffey quay

An' I see the young proud look of them as if it were to-day !

The bright lads, the right lads, i have them in my mind,

With the green flags on their bayonets all fluttering in the wind.

A last look at old Ireland, a last good-bye maybe,

Then the gray sea, the wide sea, my grief upon the sea!

And when will they come home, says I, when will they see once more

The dear blue hills of Wicklow and Wexford's dim gray shore?

The brave lads of Ireland, no better lads you'll find,

With the green flags on their bayonets all fluttering in the wind!

Three years have passed since that spring day, sad years for them and me,

Green graves there are in Serbia and in Gallipoli.

And many who went by that day along the muddy street

Will never hear the roadway ring to their triumphant feet.

But when they march before him, God's welcome will be kind ,

And the green flags on their bayonets will flutter in the wind.

 

 

The Dublin Fusilers
2nd Battalion

The Connaught
Rangers

The Connaught
Rangers
2nd Battalion

The Royal Irish
Regiment

The Royal Irish
Fusiliers

 The Royal Irish
Rifles

 

  Billy Brittain from Dublin, orderly Bugler to Lord Cardigan, sounded the charge.
The Light Brigade rode into the Valley of Death and towards the Russian guns. They rode into history.

The most famous cavalry charge in history took place at Balaclava during the Crimean War on the 25th October 1854. There were infact 673 men in the ' Light Brigade ' of whom 114, or nearly 20% were Irish. During the charge 118 ( including 21 Irishmen ) were killed, 127 ( including 16 Irish ) were wounded and 45 ( including 7 Irish ) were taken prisoner by the Russians. Some 360 horses were killed. Of the Light Brigade's five regiments, the Royal Irish Hussars ( 8th ) had the most Irishmen in its ranks. The 6th Inniskilling Dragoons were present in the Heavy Brigade; after returning from the Crimea in 1856 the 8th were based in Dundalk. Captain Nolan who took the message to Lord Lucan for the charge to commence was also of Irish descent. his father being Irish.
One Hundred Irishmen served as surgeon's during the Crimean War, along with 33 Sisters of Mercy. Irishmen also served in the French and Turkish forces. These being General ( later Marshal ) MacMahon and General
O' Malley with the French Army and General Coleman, Major John Bernard and Major Richard Guyon with the Turkish Army. Approximately 37,000 Irishmen served in the British Army ( one third of the British force )and another 4,000 in the Royal Navy. Thirty Irishmen were awarded the Victoria Cross during the war.

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