In 1872, regiments were brigaded in pairs and assigned training depots in their recruiting areas in a process that, in 1881, led to the creation of new two-battalion regiments. One remarkable facet of so many Irishmen fighting for opposing nations in Europe was that they occasionally faced each other as enemies on foreign battlefields. With one Regular and one Reserve battalion, each deployable in the light infantry role, the Royal Irish Regiment continues to serve wherever it is needed. The local RUC even received both complaints and hugs! Not even patients in the Waveney Hospital felt left out as they feasted on ice cream! Photo taken on 8th May 1945. Day in Northern Ireland. In Moneymore, Co. Londonderry, VE Day celebrations were a quieter affair with church services to the fore before the victory dances began the following day. Bangor, Co. Down marked Victory in Europe Day or V.E. Known by many in Spain as "O'Neill's Regiment", it was formed in 1709 from Irishmen who fled their own country in the wake of the Flight of the Earls and the penal laws and who became known as the Wild Geese - a name which has become synonymous in modern times for Irish mercenaries and soldiers … The Wild Geese Today - Dying Together: From Bull Run to Baghdad, Irish and Scottish Military Migration to Spain, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Regiment_of_Hibernia&oldid=964773886, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 27 June 2020, at 14:13. Belfast Telegraph Photo: A street party in Donegall Square North, Belfast, Co. Antrim to celebrate Victory in Europe or VE Day on 8th May 1945. Many families already knew their loved ones would never return. An IWM film of Irish Regiments at the front in 1918. All Rights Reserved. In December 1688, the threat of a Jacobite attack on Enniskillen led to the raising of volunteer defence units, some of which were accepted into the Army in 1689. During the Second World War all three regiments served with distinction on many fronts from Europe to the Far East. To mark the gallantry of these and other Irish units in the Boer War, Queen Victoria ordered the creation of the Irish Guards as well as ordering that all Irish regiments should wear shamrock on St Patrick’s Day. Much of the doctrine used in the role was written and tested by the 1st Battalion. Across Northern Ireland, people took to the streets, joining family and friends in jubilant parties. The Regimiento Hibernia ("Regiment of Hibernia") was one of the Spanish army's foreign regiments (Infantería de línea extranjera). - Royal Irish Fusiliers Museum Royal Irish Fusiliers (Princess Victoria's). 1st Battalion Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers – Dehra Dun, India. T he experiences of the war time period led to the formation of numerous Old Comrades Associations during the immediate post war period and this has a direct connection with our current day Combined Irish Regiments' Association. Nord-West Europa: Pothus, Norway 1940, Boulogne 1940, Cagny, Mont Pincon, Neerpelt, Nijmegen, Aam, Rhineland. VE Day celebrations in Bellaghy, Co. Londonderry involved a gramophone-led street party, a lot of gunfire and a big turf-built bonfire at The Diamond. April 2019 um 21:29, https://de.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Irish_Guards&oldid=187846222, „Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike“. They were largely inexperienced and the French immediately disbanded Butler's and Feilding's, either incorporating their men into the remaining three regiments or sending them back to Ireland. After the Regiment’s 2008 deployment to Afghanistan the courage of soldiers of the Regiment was recognised with the award of three Conspicuous Gallantry Crosses and three Military Crosses. The Confederation of Kilkenny established licences for the recruitment of Irishmen to fight for the King of Spain. At Barrosa in March 1811, the 2nd/87th captured the first Napoleonic Eagle ever taken in battle by a British regiment. The Wandering Irish in Europe is the first book to portray the role of the Irish in European culture and history in a cogent, comprehensive, and systematic way. Cecil Kennedy recounted his memories to the BBC. After almost 6 years of war on the continent, VE Day or Victory in Europe Day marked a day of national celebration.