57-560: Royal Irish Regiment may be either of two British Army regiments: Royal Irish Regiment (1684–1922) , also known as the 18th Regiment of Foot Royal Irish Regiment (1992) , properly named the Royal Irish Regiment (27th (Inniskilling) 83rd and 87th and Ulster Defence Regiment) [REDACTED] Topics referred to by the same term This disambiguation page lists articles about military units and formations which are associated with
114-619: A Grand Alliance force of 86,000 under the Duke of Marlborough . In one of the bloodiest battles of the 18th century, the Allies won a narrow victory, but suffered heavy casualties. Allied advances in 1708 led to the renewal of peace talks, which collapsed in April 1709. After taking Tournai in early September, the Allies besieged Mons , whose capture would allow them to enter France itself, and Louis XIV ordered Villars to prevent its loss. Although
171-820: A cash bounty of 100 guineas . After this, the unit returned to Gibraltar later in the year, where it remained until the Siege of Toulon in 1793 during the French Revolutionary Wars . The regiment also saw action at the Battle of Alexandria in March 1801. The 1st Battalion served in Jamaica and the 2nd Battalion served in Curaçao during the Napoleonic Wars . On 19 November 1807, 120 members of
228-495: A counterattack, a decision later criticised. Suggestions the Dutch action was only intended as a demonstration appear unlikely. Marlborough blamed himself for not monitoring it more closely, and took full responsibility for the failure. Meanwhile, pressure from Prince Eugene forced Villars to keep moving troops from the centre to prevent the collapse of his left wing. Withers and the detachment from Tournai arrived too late to support
285-739: A landslide victory for the Tories in the October 1710 British general election , although they confirmed their commitment to the war to prevent a credit crisis. Despite success in France, British opposition to continuing the war was strengthened by further defeats at Brihuega and Villaviciosa in December 1710 which confirmed Philip V as king of Spain, ostensibly the original cause of the war. The Dutch blamed their losses on Marlborough's tactics, Withers for allegedly failing to support their attack, and
342-487: A tactic he often adopted to keep opponents off balance. The French army consisted of 80 guns and between 75,000 and 80,000 men, including significant numbers of Bavarian and Swiss mercenaries , as well as the Irish Brigade . Villars himself commanded the left, de la Colonie led the centre, with the right, where Villars had placed the bulk of the infantry, led by 67-year-old Marshal Louis-François de Boufflers , who
399-507: A victory that would effectively end the war. At the same time, while conscious of the implications of defeat, Villars informed Louis XIV he must fight, or his army would dissolve. The Allies delayed their attack pending the arrival of 1,900 men from Tournai under Henry Withers , a decision criticised then and later, one analyst arguing "the battle should have taken place on 10 September, or not at all". This gave Villars an extra day to construct defensive positions, including earthworks covering
456-484: Is primarily psychological. He argues 18th century authors viewed it as the point when the French army regained its confidence, while for those writing after the 1870 Franco-Prussian War , it provided proof of French resilience and ability to recover from catastrophic defeat. A total of fourteen battalions of Swiss mercenaries fought in the battle, six with the French, including two of Swiss Guards , and another eight with
513-668: The 18th Regiment of Foot , was an infantry regiment of the line in the British Army , first raised in 1684. Also known as the 18th (Royal Irish) Regiment of Foot and the 18th (The Royal Irish) Regiment of Foot , it was one of eight Irish regiments raised largely in Ireland , its home depot in Clonmel . It saw service for two and a half centuries before being disbanded with the Partition of Ireland following establishment of
570-589: The 47th Brigade in the 16th (Irish) Division in December 1915 for service on the Western Front. The 7th (South Irish Horse) Battalion was formed in France as part of the 49th Brigade in the 16th (Irish) Division from the dismounted 1st and 2nd South Irish Horse in September 1917. Due to substantial defence cuts and the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922, it was agreed that
627-598: The 82nd Brigade in the 27th Division in December 1914 for service on the Western Front but moved to Salonika in November 1915. The 2nd Battalion landed at Boulogne-sur-Mer as part of the 8th Brigade in the 3rd Division in August 1914 for service on the Western Front but was almost completely destroyed at the Battle of La Bassée in October 1914 with many men being taken as prisoners of war . The battalion
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#1732765718440684-760: The New Zealand Wars . Captain Hugh Shaw won the Victoria Cross when he rescued wounded soldiers during a skirmish at Nukumaru near Whanganui . The regiment was not fundamentally affected by the Cardwell Reforms of the 1870s, which gave it a depot at Victoria Barracks in Clonmel from 1873, or by the Childers reforms of 1881 – as it already possessed two battalions, there was no need for it to amalgamate with another regiment. Under
741-826: The Nile Expedition . It was back in home barracks from 1885 to 1891, then in Ireland until it was sent to South Africa as part of reinforcements for the Second Boer War in late 1899. The battalion took part in several battles, and played an important role at the Battle of Slabbert's Nek in July 1900 during the war. The 2nd Battalion saw action in Egypt during the Anglo-Egyptian War in 1882. From 1884 it
798-779: The Siege of Sevastopol during the Crimean War ; Captain Thomas Esmonde was awarded the Victoria Cross for saving a party of colleagues from a fire of shell and grape. The regiment also took part in the Second Anglo-Afghan War . The 2nd Battalion, which was re-formed on 18 September 1857, began to arrive in New Zealand from 4 July 1863 and served in the Waikato and Taranaki campaigns of
855-508: The 1709 campaign, Marlborough himself felt Whig demands of " No Peace Without Spain " were excessive. In that respect, Malplaquet had less impact on British policy than Spanish successes the same year at Alicante and La Gudina , which made prospects of victory there increasingly remote. Before peace talks resumed in 1710, Marlborough wrote to the Allied negotiators that "thanks to our victory..., you may have what peace you want". This view
912-889: The 18th Regiment of Foot were drowned when HM Packet Ship Prince of Wales sank in Dublin Bay . They were buried at Merrion Cemetery, Bellevue . During the First Opium War in China, the regiment next saw action at the Capture of Chusan in July 1840, Battle of Canton in May 1841, Battle of Amoy in August 1841, Second Capture of Chusan in October 1841, Battle of Ningpo in March 1842, Battle of Tzeki in March 1842, Battle of Chapu in May 1842, Battle of Woosung in June 1842, and Battle of Chinkiang in July 1842. It took part in
969-469: The Allied cavalry back, before the French in turn were repulsed by Orkney's infantry. The Allies advanced once again, and engaged the French in what was the largest cavalry action of the 18th century. As this unfolded, the French left finally started to crumble under pressure from Withers and Schulenburg. Puységur now ordered his troops to withdraw, while the Prince of Orange led another mass assault against
1026-474: The Dutch incurred over 5,000 casualties capturing Blairon Farm, including many senior officers. Despite these losses, the Prince of Orange continued his attacks until Marlborough ordered him to stop. Covered by their cavalry, the Dutch withdrew to their original positions, while Orkney later wrote their dead lay "as thick as ever you saw a flock of sheep." Boufflers, in command of the French right, had over 60 battalions at his disposal, but made no attempt to launch
1083-511: The Dutch infantry. Other estimates range from a low of 15,000 to a high of 30,000. There is less consensus on French losses, which are generally put at between 11,000 and 14,000, Other estimates suggest a low of 7,000, to a high of 17,000 killed or wounded, plus 500 prisoners. The Allies also captured 16 French artillery pieces. Although horrified by the casualties, contemporaries viewed Malplaquet as an Allied victory, and most modern historians concur. The French commanders focused on
1140-429: The Dutch opposed his preferred option of Ypres , he agreed to make Tournai the main objective for 1709. Although persistent heavy rain caused further delays, the siege of Tournai commenced on 15 June; one of the strongest fortresses in France and held by a garrison of 7,700, it surrendered on 3 September and Marlborough immediately marched on Mons . Having assumed Tournai would hold out until October and thus consume
1197-478: The Dutch, and were instructed instead to make a flanking move north of the French lines in Sars Wood. This manoeuvre took over two hours to complete, by which time the fighting had largely ended, but their approach forced Villars to reinforce his left with another twelve battalions. By midday, this left nine French battalions and sixty cavalry squadrons in the centre, facing twenty-three and eighty respectively. In
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#17327657184401254-472: The Dutch. More than 8,000 of these became casualties, while Malplaquet was the last action where Swiss mercenaries directly engaged one another until Bailén in 1808. Written many years later, a firsthand account of the battle is given in the book Amiable Renegade: The Memoirs of Peter Drake (1671–1753) . An Irishman who served in various European armies, Drake fought with the Maison du Roi at Malplaquet and
1311-579: The Free State government's newly formed National Army . They brought considerable combat experience with them and by May 1923 comprised 50 per cent of its 53,000 soldiers and 20 per cent of its officers. The battle honours of the regiment were: The following members of the Regiment were awarded the Victoria Cross : The following are memorials of the Great War (World War I): The colonels of
1368-463: The French right. The Dutch infantry made some progress but were repulsed once again, before Grovestins' cavalry approached the French rear, forcing them to finally abandon their entrenchments. At 15:00 Boufflers ordered a general retreat towards Le Quesnoy , some 25 kilometres (16 mi) away, with the Allies too exhausted to pursue. Most commentators put Allied casualties between 21,000 and 25,000 killed or wounded, 8,462 of which were incurred by
1425-697: The Grand Alliance over the wisdom of continuing the war. By saving his army, Villars ultimately enabled Louis to negotiate far better peace terms in 1713 than those available in 1709. However, it did little to change the immediate strategic situation; Mons surrendered shortly afterward and the Allies resumed their advance in 1710. By early 1709, the French state was bankrupt, while the severe winter of 1708–1709 caused widespread famine; garrisons at Tournai , Arras , St Omer , Valenciennes and Cambrai all mutinied over lack of food and pay. Desperate to end
1482-435: The Prince of Orange for continuing when it became clear the French positions were too strong. Although Grand Pensionary Anthonie Heinsius and several Dutch regenten felt the casualties justified more stringent peace terms, others considered this unrealistic. Sicco van Goslinga, a Dutch field deputy attached to Marlborough's staff, argued such casualties were to be expected, given they had taken Tournai and Mons, "two of
1539-644: The Royal Irish Regiment were killed and sixteen more wounded. Some of these are buried in Grangegorman Military Cemetery . A Royal Irish Regiment officer reported that " they regarded, not unreasonably, everyone they saw as an enemy, and fired at anything that moved ". The 5th (Service) Battalion (Pioneers) landed in Suvla Bay as pioneer battalion for the 10th (Irish) Division in August 1915 but moved to Salonika in September 1915. The 6th (Service) Battalion landed at Le Havre as part of
1596-658: The Terra Nova earthwork, later commemorated in the song ' The British Grenadiers .' In recognition, of this, William III renamed the unit as The Royal Regiment of Foot of Ireland. As part of the Irish establishment , it escaped disbandment after the 1697 Treaty of Ryswick and when the War of the Spanish Succession began in 1701, returned to Flanders as part of Marlborough 's field army. It served there throughout
1653-679: The bulk of the 30,000 cavalry to their rear. Finally, the Allied left was held by the Dutch, with 18,000 infantry under the Prince of Orange , plus 10,000 cavalry under the Prince of Hesse-Kassel . Overall control was exercised by Count Tilly , who had succeeded Lord Overkirk as senior Dutch commander. At 07:00 on 11 September, the Allies opened the battle with an artillery bombardment. This ended at 08:30, when their right wing assaulted French troops based in Sars Wood, led by Count Finckenstein , Lottum and Schulenburg . Three hours of close combat ensued, both sides taking heavy losses; Prince Eugene
1710-497: The casualties incurred, the French view it differently. At the beginning of the war, their army was considered the best in Europe, a reputation shattered by a series of defeats between 1704 and 1708. Despite being a narrow defeat which did little to change the immediate strategic situation, Malplaquet is seen as more important than victory at Denain in 1712. Historian André Corvisier suggests its significance in French military history
1767-479: The defeated. In contrast, at Malplaquet the French held strong defensive positions, were better led, and highly motivated. Villars had also learned from Ramillies, where Villeroy arguably contributed to his own defeat by over-extending his line. He was helped by the fact that the battlefield at Malplaquet was much more restricted, allowing him to concentrate his infantry in defensive positions. It also prevented Marlborough from quickly shifting troops between wings,
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1824-443: The early afternoon, Villars was badly wounded, and transferred overall command to Boufflers, with Puységur taking over the left. Despite their losses, the Dutch assaults prevented the French right reinforcing their centre. This was now over-run by Orkney's infantry, while the Dutch cavalry under Grovestins broke into their rear, before being attacked by the elite Maison du Roi cavalry under Boufflers. Superior numbers forced
1881-467: The end of April. When the 1709 campaign began, Louis ordered Villars to avoid battle and to prevent any further deterioration in the French position. Ordinarily an extremely aggressive general, Villars instead built defensive lines along the River Scarpe , running from Saint-Venant to Douai . For their part, the Allies were convinced France was on the verge of collapse, and looked to keep up
1938-527: The entire 1709 campaign season, Louis now ordered Villars to prevent the loss of Mons "at all costs...the salvation of France is at stake". The main Allied army arrived east of the town on 7 September, awaiting the arrival of their siege artillery from Tournai; Villars took up positions to the southwest on the 9th, leaving the two forces facing each other across the gap of Malplaquet . Knowing Villars had been instructed to fight for Mons, Marlborough and his deputy Prince Eugene of Savoy were confident of winning
1995-409: The flank attacks incurred heavy casualties, while the French cavalry ensured their centre did not collapse. This allowed their infantry to retreat in good order, with the Allies too exhausted to conduct a pursuit. Most historians estimate Allied losses as about 22,000 killed or wounded, those of the French being around 11,000. These levels shocked contemporaries, and heightened internal divisions within
2052-569: The independent Irish Free State in 1922 when the five regiments that had their traditional recruiting grounds in the counties of the new state were disbanded. The regiment was formed in 1684 by the Earl of Granard from independent companies in Ireland . As Hamilton's Foot , it served in Flanders during the Nine Years War and at Namur on 31 August 1695, took part in the capture of
2109-511: The last significant French field army in another battle. As a result, the immediate impact of Malplaquet was political rather than military. When peace negotiations resumed in March 1710 at Geertruidenberg, it was clear the mood in Britain had changed. Although British losses were comparatively low, Marlborough's domestic opponents used the heavy casualties to attack him. Reluctance to continue fighting for what seemed marginal gains resulted in
2166-567: The last significant obstacles to the Allied advance, the new British government had already secretly negotiated peace terms with Louis XIV, signing the Preliminary Articles of London on 8 October 1711. At the end of 1711, Marlborough was replaced by the Tory Duke of Ormonde , who was ordered to prevent any further offensive action by British troops. While the battle is now chiefly remembered by British and Dutch commentators for
2223-401: The losses they had inflicted, Boufflers reporting to Louis XIV "...misfortune compels me to announce the loss of another battle, but I can assure your Majesty misfortune has never been accompanied by greater glory". In a similar vein, Villars later wrote: "If God grants us the grace to lose such a battle again, Your Majesty can count on all of his enemies being destroyed". The Prince of Orange
2280-477: The open ground in the centre, and additional entrenchments extending into the woods on either side. Marlborough's plan was the same as he had successfully employed at Blenheim , Ramillies and Oudenarde . On each occasion, frontal assaults on the French flanks forced them to move troops from the centre, which was then broken by mass cavalry attacks. Although the leading units took heavy casualties, overall Allied losses were substantially less than those suffered by
2337-534: The pressure by advancing through the line of border fortresses known as the Frontière de fer . While French strategy was always ultimately determined by Louis XIV, that of the Allies had to be approved separately by the British , Dutch and Austrian governments, which often required compromise. Marlborough , the Allied commander, considered the positions held by Villars too strong for a frontal assault, and since
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2394-746: The reforms the regiment became The Royal Irish Regiment on 1 July 1881. It served as the county regiment of Tipperary , Waterford , Wexford and Kilkenny . Militarily, the whole of Ireland was administered as a separate command within the United Kingdom with Command Headquarters at Parkgate ( Phoenix Park ) Dublin, directly under the War Office in London. The 1st Battalion was stationed in British India and Afghanistan from 1875 to 1884, when it were transferred to Egypt to take part in
2451-479: The regiment were: Regimental titles in italics indicate they were disbanded or renumbered before 1881. Battle of Malplaquet The Battle of Malplaquet took place on 11 September 1709 during the War of the Spanish Succession , near Taisnières-sur-Hon in modern France , then part of the Spanish Netherlands . A French army of around 75,000 men, commanded by the Duke of Villars , engaged
2508-631: The same title. If an internal link referred you to this page, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. [REDACTED] Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Royal_Irish_Regiment&oldid=620292993 " Category : Military units and formations disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Royal Irish Regiment (1684%E2%80%931922) 3 Militia and Special Reserve battalions The Royal Irish Regiment , until 1881
2565-509: The six former Southern Ireland regiments would be disbanded, including the Royal Irish Regiment. On 12 June, five regimental colours were laid up in a ceremony at St George's Hall, Windsor Castle in the presence of HM King George V . The six regiments were then all disbanded on 31 July 1922. With the simultaneous outbreak of the Irish Civil War conflict some thousands of their ex-servicemen and officers contributed to expanding
2622-620: The strongest fortresses in Europe", and won "one of the hardest battles ever fought". In April 1711, the Habsburg candidate for the Spanish throne, Archduke Charles, succeeded his brother Joseph as Holy Roman Emperor . Since the British and Dutch viewed a union of Spain with Austria as unwelcome as one with France, this effectively undermined a key reason for continuing the war. While the capture of Bouchain in September 1711 removed one of
2679-648: The tradition of naming units after their current colonel and the regiment was officially ranked as the 18th Regiment of Foot. Based in Ireland for most of the Seven Years' War , in July 1767 it arrived in North America and spent the next eight years on garrison duty in Philadelphia and different parts of Illinois . When the American War of Independence began in April 1775, most of the unit
2736-452: The two armies made contact on 10 September, the attack was delayed until the next day, giving Villars time to construct strong defensive positions. After an opening artillery barrage, the Allied infantry made simultaneous assaults on the French flanks. These were intended to divert troops from their centre, weakening it sufficiently so it could then be broken by a mass Allied cavalry charge. Although successful in previous battles, at Malplaquet
2793-573: The war, Louis XIV initiated peace talks with the Grand Alliance in The Hague . He accepted most of their terms, including replacing his grandson Philip V of Spain with the Habsburg candidate Archduke Charles , the principle for which they were ostensibly fighting. However, he and his ministers could not agree to the demand French troops be used to remove Philip, and talks broke down at
2850-515: The war, including major actions at Schellenberg , Blenheim , Ramillies , Oudenarde and Malplaquet . The war ended with the 1713 Peace of Utrecht and in 1718, the regiment joined the garrison of the British-held island of Menorca , where it remained here until 1742, with the exception of a detachment sent to Gibraltar in 1727 . The regiment spent most of the next 25 years on garrison duty in Britain and Ireland; in 1751, reforms ended
2907-611: Was in Boston ; for the first time in over 50 years, it saw action at Lexington, Concord and Bunker Hill . Boston was abandoned in early 1776 and the regiment evacuated to Nova Scotia , where many of its men were drafted into other units, then to Dover Castle in England. In 1782, it moved to Guernsey where in 1783 it helped the local militia put down a mutiny by soldiers of the 104th Regiment based at Fort George . The Government of Guernsey publicly thanked both units and awarded them
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#17327657184402964-417: Was left to oversee the siege of Mons, which surrendered on 21 October. Despite this loss, in the long term Malplaquet arguably allowed Louis to negotiate far better terms at Utrecht in 1713 than those available in 1709. When negotiations resumed in March 1710, the French strategic position was largely unchanged, but Maplaquet accentuated Allied divisions over war aims and their associated cost. Even before
3021-788: Was re-formed in October 1914 and, as part of the 22nd Brigade in the 7th Division saw further action at the Battle of the Somme , when it was involved in capturing three miles of the German frontline trenches, in Autumn 1916. The 3rd (Reserve) Battalion, largely made up from local Dubliners, were the first army troops to engage the Irish rebels during the Easter Rising : the rebels were fighting to establish an Irish Republic in Dublin . Eight of
3078-426: Was senior to Villars in rank but volunteered to serve under him. The infantry held a continuous line of entrenchments supported by artillery, with the cavalry massed in the rear. Facing them was an Allied force of roughly 86,000 men and 100 guns, with the right wing formed of 30,000 German and Danish infantry led by Prince Eugene. The Earl of Orkney commanded the Allied centre, with 8,000 mostly British infantry, and
3135-478: Was slightly wounded, but refused to leave the field. At around 09:00, the Dutch, commanded by François Nicolas Fagel , moved against the French right with 13 battalions, including Swiss mercenaries and the Scots Brigade . After initial success, they were repulsed, and the Prince of Orange and Sicco van Goslinga then ordered another 17 battalions to support Fagel by attacking French positions around Blairon Farm. A frontal assault on strongly entrenched troops meant
3192-413: Was stationed at Malta , then in India where it had various postings, including the last in Kamptee until it returned home in late 1902. In 1908, the Volunteers and Militia were reorganised nationally, with the former becoming the Territorial Force and the latter the Special Reserve ; the regiment now had two Reserve but no Territorial battalions. The 1st Battalion landed at Le Havre as part of
3249-458: Was used on the loss of Mons, which exposed the French interior, while the losses incurred at Malplaquet meant they could only act on the defensive. In spring 1710, the Allies resumed their advance almost unopposed; by September they had broken through the secondary line of the "Pré carré", capturing Douai, Béthune , Aire and Saint-Venant. Short of supplies, and with many regiments reduced to less than half their official size, Villars could not risk
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