United Kingdom
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| Army
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! style="text-align: left;" | Size:
| Four battalions
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! style="text-align: left;" | Garrison/HQ:
| 1st Battalion - Inverness
2nd Battalion - Belfast
3rd Battalion - Armagh
4th Battalion - Omagh
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| HRH The Duke of York
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| Lt-General Philip Charles Cornwallis Trousdell, KBE, CB
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! style="text-align: left; " | Nickname:
| The Micks, The Old Namurers
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! style="text-align: left; " | Patron:
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! style="text-align: left;" | Motto:
| Faugh A Ballagh (Clear the Way) (Irish)
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| Green, Red, Blue
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! style="text-align: left;" | March:
| Quick - Killaloe
Slow - Eileen Alannah
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! style="text-align: left;" | Mascot:
| Irish Wolfhound Brian Boru
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! style="text-align: left;" | Anniversaries:
| Barrossa Day, 5th March
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The Royal Irish Regiment (27th (Inniskilling) 83rd and 87th and Ulster Defence Regiment), commonly just called the Royal Irish Regiment (R IRISH), is an infantry unit of the British Army and is the only remaining Irish regiment of the line. It was formed in 1992 under the Options for Change proposals through the amalgamation of the Royal Irish Rangers and the Ulster Defence Regiment, with most of its membership coming from the latter. Its Regimental HQ is in St Patrick's Barracks, Ballymena. This produced a regiment with a total of eleven battalions:
- Regular Army - General Service
- *1st Battalion, Royal Irish Regiment
- *2nd Battalion, Royal Irish Regiment
- Territorial Army
- *4th Battalion, Royal Irish Rangers
- *5th Battalion, Royal Irish Rangers
- Regular Army - Northern Ireland Resident Battalions (or "Home Service")
- *3rd (County Down) Battalion, Royal Irish Regiment
- *4th (County Fermanagh and County Tyrone) Battalion, Royal Irish Regiment
- *5th (County Londonderry) Battalion, Royal Irish Regiment
- *6th (County Armagh) Battalion, Royal Irish Regiment
- *7th (City of Belfast) Battalion, Royal Irish Regiment
- *8th (County Tyrone) Battalion, Royal Irish Regiment
- *9th (County Antrim) Battalion, Royal Irish Regiment
- Note: Northern Ireland Resident Battalion is the official Army terminology for what was previously know as the “Home Service” (a term still mistakenly used).
The Northern Ireland Resident Battalions fulfilled the role formerly occupied by the Ulster Defence Regiment, that is, conducting counter-terrorism operations in Northern Ireland, while the 1st and 2nd Battalions served worldwide as general service battalions. Due to 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 was disbanded, while the 3rd and 6th Battalions merged, as did the 4th and 5th battalions of the Royal Irish Rangers to form 4th/5th Battalion. 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 8th Battalions
- 4th Battalion - amalgamation of 4th and 5th Battalions
Today, the operational command of the Royal Irish Regiment encompasses:
- 1st Battalion - general service
- 2nd Battalion - Northern Ireland Resident Battalion
- 3rd Battalion - Northern Ireland Resident Battalion
- 4th Battalion - Northern Ireland Resident Battalion
- The Royal Irish Rangers - Territorial Army
- *B (North Irish Horse) Squadron, Queen's Own Yeomanry - Territorial Army (an RAC squadron under the operational command of the Royal Irish Rangers)
As a consequence, it remains the largest infantry regiment in the British Army. Its members (in the 1st Battalion and Royal Irish Rangers only) are still known as 'Rangers'.
In 2004, a major restructuring of the infantry was announced, with all of the remaining single battalion infantry regiments being amalgamated together. Under normal circumstances, this may have put the Royal Irish Regiment at risk. However, because of its unique status in providing the home defence for Northern Ireland, plus the fact that it is the only remaining Irish 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 (i.e. renaming it as 5th Battalion, Royal Irish Regiment). This allows a 'line infantry footprint' to remain in Northern Ireland.
Recent Deployments
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.
As such, the battalion has seen more than its fair share of operational tours recently. 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 SAS, with the West Side Boys suffering severe casualties in the action.
1 R IRISH also deployed with its brigade to Iraq at the beginning of Op TELIC in March 2003, where they carried out operations in the south of the country. Its Commanding Officer, after being accused and acquitted of war crimes, was honoured with an OBE for distinguished service.
1 R IRISH returned from 6 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.
The Future
1st Battalion
The 1st Battalion, as part of the restructuring of the infantry, will assume a fixed role, in common with the rest of the regular infantry. This will see it assigned 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 will move from Inverness to Tern Hill by 2009.
Northern Ireland Resident Battalions (Home Service)
The IRA announced an end to its campaign of violence in the summer of 2005. In response the UK government announced military cuts which included the R IRISH. Having played a crucial role in creating the environment for normalisation the Northern Ireland Resident Battalions of the Regiment were told they would be disbanded. In March of 2006, a redundancy package was announced for these battalions, which are to be disbanded between March 2007 and 31 July 2007. On 1 Aug 2007 Op BANNER, the military support to the civilian police (PSNI) in Northern Ireland ends.
Mr 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."
The 1st Battalion, other than accepting transfers of willing Home Service soldiers into its ORBAT, will be 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, is also due to be disbanded.
The Rangers (Volunteers)
The Rangers, continuing the long standing precedence of Irish soldiers willing to volunteer and fight for the crown have distinguished themselves on operations in OP Telic in Iraq. They have served as on operations with the likes of the PWRR in Al Amarrah and in other areas of Iraq with 1R IRISH and The London Regiment. The Rangers vehemently defend the title Rangers, distinguishing themselves as ready volunteers to go straight to the front and continue the traditions of Irish soldiers within the British Army.
Order of Precedence
|- style="text-align: center;"
| width="30%" |Preceded by:
Royal Welsh
| width="40%" style="text-align: center;" |Infantry Order of Precedence
| width="30%" |Succeeded by:
Parachute Regiment
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