at the LKA/Club Show, 1972
Venue and date unknown
The Royal Irish Rangers - a Territorial Army regiment - was formed on July 1st, 1968 from three former constituent regiments, Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, Royal Irish Fusiliers and Royal Ulster Rifles.
The Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers was raised in 1689 to fight in the Williamite Wars, at which time they were known as Tiffin's Inniskillings (taking that title from their first Colonel). In the following three centuries, its battalions fought wherever the British Army was sent. Tiffins Regiment became the 27th Foot at the time when the British Army began numbering Regiments. During the Napoleonic wars, it won special fame at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815, when the 27th Regiment was cut to ribbons and all officers killed or wounded, and the Regimental Sergeants had to take over. The original badge, which is of the Castle of Inniskilling flying the flag of the Cross of St. George, is still worn by the Royal Irish Rangers as their Collar Badge.
The Royal Irish Fusiliers and Royal Ulster Rifles were formed at the beginning of the Napoleonic wars when the British Army was expanded. This was in 1793 and the Regiments were despatched to many different locations as part of the British Forces. After the peace of 1815 the Regiments were sent to various parts of the British Empire to take part in the many campaigns that were an integral part of this period. In 1827 the 87th Regiment were granted the title "The Prince of Wales Own Irish Fusiliers", which was changed soon after to the "87th or Royal Irish Fusiliers".
1881 saw the Cardwell reforms of the British Army and during this period two of the Regiments, the 83rd and 86th, underwent a more fundamental change, in which they were first reformed as a "Rifle" regiment which required them to exchange their scarlet tunics for those of Rifle Green and to cease carrying their colours. This difference can be seen in the photographs below - with the scarlet of the Royal Irish Guard's tunic showing light, while the dark green of the Royal Irish Rangers' tunic shows up black. The headgear of the Regiment is the Caubeen, which is a traditional beret type cap in dark green with a bright green feather plume and is unique to Irish Regiments.
In 1970 an Irish wolfhound, named Brian Boru I, was presented as mascot by Major Hayes, the Commanding Officer of The Royal Irish Rangers on his retirement, and this hound was shown on several occasions, as was the then Irish Guards' mascot, which was Fionn. This first Royal Irish Rangers mascot was registered as Sanctuary Connaire Mor and was bred by the Misses Harrison & Atfield, by Sanctuary Knight of Kerry ex Sanctuary Monica, whelped December 30th 1969. The name Brian Boru was to be used for all the following mascots, with just the addition of a different Roman numeral with each succeeding hound.
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| Irish Ranger and Irish Guard, each with
mascot, at the LKA/Club Show, 1972 |
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| Irish Guard and Royal Irish Ranger, each with
mascot. Venue and date unknown |
The "Britains" range of toy soldiers had a collection of the Irish Rangers which included a model of the Irish Wolfhound mascot. This set has now been discontinued.
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| On the March |
In 1992 The UDR (Ulster Defence Regiment) was amalgamated with the Royal Irish Rangers and renamed the Royal Irish Regiment. The Royal Irish Regiment was unique in the British Army. It consisted of one General Service battalion, liable for service world wide, three Home Service battalions for service within Northern Ireland, and one Territorial Army battalion.
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| Postcard in the Regimental Mascots of the
British Army series: Brian Boru V - Mascot of 1st Battalion The Royal Irish Regiment |
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| Brian Boru VII, now retired |
| [Thanks to Julie Hughes for these pictures of Brian Boru VII] |
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| Brian Boru VII and his companion, Lucky |
| The following was in the BBC News, 6th October 2006 |
| The Queen attended the parade which marked the
disbandment of the Royal Irish Regiment's home service battalions. Some 300 soldiers drawn from the Royal Irish Regiment's home service battalions paraded at the Balmoral Showgrounds in Belfast. The three home service battalions of the Royal Irish Regiment will be disbanded next July. The parade was led by regimental mascot Brian Boru VIII, an Irish Wolfhound. The Queen awarded the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross to the regiment in recognition of 36 years' continuous service in Northern Ireland. |
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| The following appeared in the Daily Mail, October 14th 2008 :- |
One soldier and his dog lead homecoming parade as
(N.B. It was not the Irish Guards but the Royal Irish Regiment)
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| They led a crowd of 300 of Britain's bravest and best, but today all eyes were on one man and his dog. In solidarity with the homecoming soldiers of The Royal Irish Regiment, their mascot was dressed in his own canine version of desert camouflage. Irish wolfhound Brian Boru VIII trotted ahead as the 1st Battalion - based in Tern Hill, Shropshire - paraded through the streets of nearby Market Drayton with bugles, pipes and drums playing. |
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| Welcome home: A soldier and Irish wolfhound Brian
Boru VIII led the parade as Irish Guards marched through their hometown in Market Drayton, Shropshire |
| The battalion has just completed a six-month tour of
duty in Afghanistan's Helmand Province. Their commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel Freely, said: 'This parade is an opportunity for us to say thank you to the residents of the town for their continued support. 'Our arduous tasks in Afghanistan are so much easier to bear in the knowledge of such strong support in our home county.' The Mayor of Market Drayton, Councillor Rob Bentley, said: 'I am very proud to invite the Royal Irish Regiment 'to parade through the streets of Market Drayton. 'The Regiment is to be based here for a number of years to come and we are keen to promote good relations between the unit and the local community.' |
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| For the complete article see http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1077642/One-soldier-dog-lead-homecoming-parade-Irish-Guards-march-home-town.html |
On November 1st, 2008 the following article appeared on News Letter (www.newsletter.co.uk)
Thousands turn out for Royal Irish in Larne |
| Published Date: 01 November
2008 HOPES are growing that Belfast homecoming parade will pass off peacefully after a second successful Royal Irish parade in Larne. On Saturday afternoon thousands lined the streets of Larne to cheer the Royal Irish Regiment through the town after the regiment was awarded the freedom of the borough by the council. The parade was delayed by a security alert, but the crowds waited patiently for about an hour until the all-clear had been given and the parade got under way. Among the thousands lining the town's streets stood families with children perched high on their father's shoulders, veterans with medals proudly pinned to their chests and elderly waiting in wheelchairs. The parade consisted of about 200 soldiers from the 1st and 2nd Battalions, along with retired Royal Irish veterans and Army cadets. Filling the road, they marched forward in utterly straight columns behind the vast Irish wolfhound mascot and regimental band. |
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| For the complete article, click here |
| On Sunday, November 2nd the BBC website showed this picture of the Royal Irish Regiment and two wolfhound mascots |
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| the full article can be seen at http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/7704650.stm |
| Sadly, on December 18th, 2010, Merlin, as Brian Boru VIII was known, died from a heart problem. He is greatly missed, as he was not just an exemplary mascot for the Regiment but also visited schools and hospitals and was indeed an inspirational wolfhound. |
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| Members of the Royal Irish Regiment parading at Tern
Hill Barracks during their St Patrick's Day parade in 2010 (from the Shropshire Star website - http://www.shropshirestar.com/latest/2010/03/15/great-turnout-for-soldiers-parade/) |
| In January, 2011 the Shropshire Star ran an update on the Regiment's search for a replacement mascot for Merlin - http://www.shropshirestar.com/news/2011/01/16/shropshire-based-royal-irish-regiment-seeks-new-mascot/ |
| On Sunday, March 13th, 2011 the Shropshire Star ran a further update on the replacement mascot as the Regiment took on a new puppy to become Brian Boru IX, otherwise known as Finn - http://www.shropshirestar.com/news/2011/03/13/royal-irish-regiment-chooses-new-mascot/ - and here he is:- |
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| Royal Irish Regiment post 2006 Regimental Mascot
(Irish Wolfhound) coat / shabraque.. A rare example of green woollen cloth, edged with lines of gold lace. The hide quarters are mounted with a silver bullion regimental device set on the colours of the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross ribbon. Simulated leather strap attachments. VGC. . Formed 1st July 1992 from Royal Irish Rangers (1st Bn) and Ulster Defence Regiment (2nd Bn). Regiment uniquely awarded the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross by HM Queen Elizabeth in 2006 |
The Royal Irish Regiment home page can be found at http://www.army.mod.uk/infantry/regiments/3409.aspx
This little model - it stands 2¼ inches high - is dated 2002, by Martin Tabony, and is of the Royal Irish Rangers' mascot with handler.
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| and this is the Langley Models' version: |
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| http://www.langley-models.co.uk/acatalog/Mascots_and_Musicians.html |
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| Northern Irish Toy Soldier Museum's Royal Irish
Ranger's mascot, Brian Boru, and handler Designed by Martin Tabony |
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Updated 2/27/2014