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The home service battalions were awarded the [[Conspicuous Gallantry Cross]] (CGC) by [[Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom|HM The Queen]] in [[Belfast]], 6 October 2006.<ref>{{cite web | author= | title=MOD Website (google cache) "Queen awards Conspicuous Gallantry Cross to the Royal Irish Regiment"| url=http://66.102.9.104/search?q=cache:3es1kXHl1mYJ:www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/DefenceNews/HistoryAndHonour/QueenAwardsConspicuousGallantryCrossToTheRoyalIrishRegiment.htm+conspicuous+gallantry+cross&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=4&gl=uk| accessdaymonth=16 October | accessyear=2007 }}</ref> It is the first time the medal, second in precedence only to the [[Victoria Cross]], has been awarded to a [[military unit]] rather than to an individual member of the [[armed forces]].
The home service battalions were awarded the [[Conspicuous Gallantry Cross]] (CGC) by [[Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom|HM The Queen]] in [[Belfast]], 6 October 2006.<ref>{{cite web | author= | title=MOD Website (google cache) "Queen awards Conspicuous Gallantry Cross to the Royal Irish Regiment"| url=http://66.102.9.104/search?q=cache:3es1kXHl1mYJ:www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/DefenceNews/HistoryAndHonour/QueenAwardsConspicuousGallantryCrossToTheRoyalIrishRegiment.htm+conspicuous+gallantry+cross&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=4&gl=uk| accessdaymonth=16 October | accessyear=2007 }}</ref> It is the first time the medal, second in precedence only to the [[Victoria Cross]], has been awarded to a [[military unit]] rather than to an individual member of the [[armed forces]].


The 1st Battalion, other than accepting transfers of willing Home Service soldiers into its [[Order of battle]], was unaffected by these disbandments. As part of the reduction of Army strength in Northern Ireland to a conventional garrison, the RHQ in [[Ballymena]] was earmarked for closure. It is expected to close in Summer of 2008, with the Royal Irish RHQ moving to [[Thiepval Barracks]] in [[Lisburn]]. The Royal Irish band, the largest musical ensemble in the [[British Army]], will be transferred to the [[Territorial Army]].
The 1st Battalion, other than accepting transfers of willing Home Service soldiers into its [[Order of battle]], was unaffected by these disbandments. As part of the reduction of Army strength in Northern Ireland to a conventional garrison, the RHQ in [[Ballymena]] was earmarked for closure. It closed in the Summer of 2008, with the Royal Irish RHQ moving to Palace Barracks in Belfast. The Royal Irish band, the largest musical ensemble in the [[British Army]], will be transferred to the [[Territorial Army]].


====The 2nd Battalion (previously "The Rangers")====
====The 2nd Battalion (previously "The Rangers")====

Revision as of 21:46, 23 January 2009

For the regiment of the same name, disbanded in 1922, see Royal Irish Regiment (1684-1922)
The Royal Irish Regiment (27th (Inniskilling) 83rd and 87th and Ulster Defence Regiment)
File:R IRISH.PNG
Cap Badge of the Royal Irish Regiment
Active1 July 1992-
CountryUnited Kingdom
BranchArmy
TypeLine Infantry
Role1st Battalion - Air Assault/Light Role
2nd Battalion - TA Reserve[1]
SizeTwo battalions
Garrison/HQRHQ - Ballymena
1st Battalion - Ternhill
2nd Battalion - Portadown
Nickname(s)None
Motto(s)Template:Lang-ga
(Template:Lang-en)
ColoursGreen, Red, Blue
MarchQuick - Killaloe
Slow - Eileen Alannah
Mascot(s)Irish Wolfhound (Brian Boru VIII)
AnniversariesBarrossa Day, 5 March; Somme Day, 1 July
EngagementsKosovo War, Sierra Leone Civil War, Operation Banner, 2nd Gulf War, War in Afghanistan
Commanders
Current
commander		1 R IRISH: Lt Col Ed Freely[2]
2 R IRISH: Lt Col Andy Cullen[3]
Colonel in ChiefHRH The Duke of York KG KCVO ADC(P)
Colonel of
the Regiment		Lieutenant General Philip Charles Cornwallis Trousdell, KBE, CB
Notable
commanders		Lt Col Tim Collins OBE
Insignia
Tactical Recognition Flash
TartanSaffron (pipes)
HackleGreen
From Royal Irish Rangers
AbbreviationR IRISH

The Royal Irish Regiment (27th (Inniskilling) 83rd and 87th and Ulster Defence Regiment) (R IRISH) is an infantry unit of the British Army. It is the only remaining Irish regiment of the line.[4]

1992 creation

With an antecedence reaching back to 1689, the regiment was formed in 1992. The creation followed the Options for Change proposals which recommended through 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 a regiment with eleven battalions:

  • Note: Northern Ireland Resident Battalion is the official Army terminology for what was previously known as the "Home Service" (a term still mistakenly used).

The Northern Ireland Resident Battalions filled the role formerly occupied by the UDR; conducting counter-terrorism operations in Northern Ireland under Operation BANNER. The 1st and 2nd Battalions, by contrast, served worldwide as general service battalions.

Because of its size, the regiment was removed from the King's Division and existed outside the divisions of infantry. In 1993, one of the regular battalions (2 R IRISH based in Lemgo) was disbanded. In 2001, the number of Northern Ireland Resident Battalions was reduced to three:

  • 2nd Battalion - amalgamation of 7th and 9th Battalions
  • 3rd Battalion - amalgamation of 3rd and 6th Battalions[5]
  • 4th Battalion - amalgamation of 4th and 5th Battalions

Current organisation

In 2005, the government announced the end of Operation BANNER, and with it the disbandment of the resident battalions. These were declared non-operational in October 2006, and disbanded in July 2007. At the same time, the Royal Irish Rangers, then serving as the TA battalion, was fully incorporated as the 2nd Battalion, Royal Irish Regiment. Today, the operational command of the Royal Irish Regiment encompasses:

The Regimental Headquarters was, until Summer 2008, at St Patrick's Barracks, Ballymena, and is now at Palace Barracks, Holywood, Belfast.

Restructuring

File:RIR Kyle Mullan C2007.jpg
The Resident Battalions of the Royal Irish Regiment during their final parade.

In 2004, a major restructuring of the infantry was announced. It recommended, inter alia, that all of the remaining single battalion infantry regiments be amalgamated. Under normal circumstances, this would have put the Royal Irish Regiment at risk but because of its unique status providing the home defence for Northern Ireland, and as the only remaining Irish line infantry regiment, it was decided to leave the Royal Irish Regiment as it was, with no changes, with perhaps the exception of bringing the Territorial Army battalion more fully within the regiment's structure by renaming it as 5th Battalion, Royal Irish Regiment. This allowed a 'line infantry footprint' to remain in Northern Ireland.

In Northern Ireland the Regiment recruits from all sections of the community and both sides of any sectarian divide. In common with other line infantry regiments it has recruited many non-UK personnel, particularly from across the border in the Republic of Ireland, which permits its citizens to enlist in the British forces, but forbids active recruiting.

The regiment also recruits from overseas countries such as South Africa, Zimbabwe, Fiji and from around the Caribbean.

Recent deployments

Arms of the British Army
Combat Arms
Combat Support Arms
Combat Services

The 1st Battalion has just returned to 16 Air Assault Brigade. This Brigade is one of two British light brigades, designed to be capable of rapidly deploying to trouble spots around the world.

In 2000 in Sierra Leone, while deployed to train government troops, eleven Royal Irish soldiers and their local army liaison officer, were kidnapped by the West Side Boys insurgents. Five hostages were later released and the remaining six were freed by the Special Air Service during Operation BARRAS, with the West Side Boys suffering severe casualties in the action.[6]

1 R IRISH also deployed with its brigade 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, Lt Col Tim Collins was honoured with an Order of the British Empire for distinguished service.

1 R IRISH returned from six months in Iraq on Op TELIC 6/7 where they served in 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.

Structure

1st Battalion

The 1st Battalion, as part of the restructuring of the infantry, has assumed a fixed role as a light role battalion, rotating with two other line infantry/rifles battalions in the air assault role as part of 16 Air Assault Brigade. As part of this, the battalion moved from Fort George, Inverness to Tern Hill in 2007. In September 2008 the battalion completed a tour in Afghanistan (Op HERRICK 8) and returned to Shropshire.[7][8][9]

Northern Ireland Resident Battalions (Home Service)

The Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) announced an end to its armed campaign in the summer of 2006. In response the United Kingdom government announced military cuts which included the Royal Irish Regiment. Having played a significant role in creating the environment for normalisation the Northern Ireland Resident Battalions of the Regiment were told that they would be disbanded. In March 2006, a redundancy package was announced and they ceased to be operational in October that year. On 1 August 2007 Operation Banner, the military support to the civilian police (the Police Service of Northern Ireland, PSNI) in Northern Ireland ended, and the three resident battalions were disbanded.[10]

Adam Ingram, Armed Forces Minister said:

We will never forget that over 200 Royal Irish home service/UDR personnel have made the ultimate sacrifice while serving in Northern Ireland. I know that the day of disbandment will be a sad one for the battalion and for each and every member of the home service, but 'we' should take the opportunity and look at how far 'we' have come

Regimental Colonel Mark Campbell said "The end of Operation Banner (the military operation in support of the Police Service of Northern Ireland) reflects the success of the home service whose men and women have played a significant role in bringing Northern Ireland to the far more peaceful circumstances it enjoys today."

Conspicuous Gallantry Cross

The home service battalions were awarded the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross (CGC) by HM The Queen in Belfast, 6 October 2006.[11] It is the first time the medal, second in precedence only to the Victoria Cross, has been awarded to a military unit rather than to an individual member of the armed forces.

The 1st Battalion, other than accepting transfers of willing Home Service soldiers into its Order of battle, was unaffected by these disbandments. As part of the reduction of Army strength in Northern Ireland to a conventional garrison, the RHQ in Ballymena was earmarked for closure. It closed in the Summer of 2008, with the Royal Irish RHQ moving to Palace Barracks in Belfast. The Royal Irish band, the largest musical ensemble in the British Army, will be transferred to the Territorial Army.

The 2nd Battalion (previously "The Rangers")

Individual members of the Rangers served on operations in Op TELIC in Iraq. They served with, inter alia, the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment (PWRR) in Al Amarrah and in other areas of Iraq with 1 R IRISH and The London Regiment. With 1 R IRISH now back as part of 16 Air Assault Brigade, the newly titled 2nd Battalion are now trained for a more operational role commitment, in support of their regular counterparts.

Casualties

The Regiment has lost seven soldiers to terrorist action in Northern Ireland.[12][13][14][15] The last to die in Northern Ireland was Corporal Trelford Withers (3 R IRISH Part-Time) - shot at his shop by IRA gunmen, Downpatrick Street, Crossgar, County Down, on 6 August 1994 and his daughter, Cpl. Claire Withers, was presented the CGC by Queen Elizabeth II on behalf of the Regiment. One died in the former Yugoslavia in 1993.[16]

To date (4 September 2008), four regimental members have been killed in Afghanistan.[17][18][19][20]

Operational honours

Iraq

Afghanistan

Other information

In memory of a conflict, in 2006, involving the regiment in a battle in the town of Musa Qala in Afghanistan, a new Regimental March, composed by Chris Attrill and commissioned by Larne Borough Council, was gifted to the regiment on Saturday 1st 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'. [24]

Order of precedence

Preceded by Infantry Order of Precedence Succeeded by

Lineage

Lineage
Royal Irish Regiment (27th (Inniskilling) 83rd and 87th and Ulster Defence Regiment) The Royal Irish Rangers (27th (Inniskilling) 83rd and 87th) The Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers The 27th (Inniskilling) Regiment of Foot
The 108th Regiment of Foot (Madras Infantry)
The Royal Ulster Rifles 83rd (County of Dublin) Regiment of Foot
The 86th (Royal County Down) Regiment of Foot
The Royal Irish Fusiliers (Princess Victoria's) The 87th (Royal Irish Fusiliers) Regiment of Foot
The 89th (The Princess Victoria's) Regiment of Foot
The Ulster Defence Regiment

Alliances

References

  1. ^ "MOD website". {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessdaymonth= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  2. ^ "Belfast Telegraph". {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessdaymonth= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  3. ^ "Belfast Newsletter".
  4. ^ "MOD Website". {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessdaymonth= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  5. ^ http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm199899/cmhansrd/vo990629/text/90629w09.htm
  6. ^ "BBC Website". {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessdaymonth= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  7. ^ "MOD Website". {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessdaymonth= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  8. ^ "MOD Website - support R IRISH in Afghanistan". {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessdaymonth= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  9. ^ "MOD Website -". {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessdaymonth= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  10. ^ "BBC Website "NI soldiers getting £250m pay-off"". {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessdaymonth= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  11. ^ "MOD Website (google cache) "Queen awards Conspicuous Gallantry Cross to the Royal Irish Regiment"". {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessdaymonth= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  12. ^ "CAIN Website Index of Deaths in NI". {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessdaymonth= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  13. ^ "CAIN Website Index of Deaths in NI". {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessdaymonth= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  14. ^ "CAIN Website – Index of Deaths in NI". {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessdaymonth= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  15. ^ "CAIN Website – Index of Deaths in NI". {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessdaymonth= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  16. ^ "MOD Website – Balkan Fatalities". {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessdaymonth= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  17. ^ "MOD Website". {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessdaymonth= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  18. ^ "MOD Website". {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessdaymonth= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  19. ^ "MOD Website". {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessdaymonth= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  20. ^ "Ranger Justin James Cupples". Uk MoD. The Ministry of Defence must confirm the death of Ranger Justin James Cupples of 1st Battalion The Royal Irish Regiment.
  21. ^ "COI Website - Awards". {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessdaymonth= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  22. ^ "MOD Website – Op TELIC Awards". {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessdaymonth= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  23. ^ "Daily Telegraph". {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessdaymonth= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  24. ^ Freedom of the Borough
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