The Royal Irish Regiment...

          
 Uniform

No 2 Dress (Officers)
Caubeen, silver cap badge
green hackle, black buttons
Black crossbelt, silver fittings (male and female)
Black shoes and gloves
Green trousers/Skirt

---o0o---

No 2 Dress (Other Ranks)
Caubeen, silver cap badge
green hackle, black buttons
Silver collar badges
Green trousers/ skirt

Working dress
Officers - Beret and embroidered cap badge with no Hackle 
Other Ranks - Beret and gold cap badge with no Hackle

The Royal Irish Regiment wears a uniform which reflects the traditions of its five ancestral regiments. The green hackle was the traditional plume colour of the Royal Irish Fusiliers. The harp and crown cap badge was worn by the Ulster Defence Regiment. The castle collar badges are the original badge of the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, and the black buttons represent the connection with the Royal Ulster Rifles. The Piper Green trousers and title  27th (Inniskilling) 83rd & 87th come from the Royal Irish Rangers 27th (Inniskilling) 83rd & 87th.
 

   Regimental Marches

   
  Structure

The Royal Irish Regiment, the largest Infantry regiment in the British Army, was formed in Northern Ireland on 1st July 1992. This new regiment evolved from an amalgamation of The Royal Irish Rangers 27th (Inniskilling) 83rd & 87th and The Ulster Defence Regiment and is part of the Regular Army. The collapse of the Warsaw Pact led to a major re-shaping of the British Army which resulted in the amalgamation of many famous regiments. The decision to form this new regiment was part of that process.

The Royal Irish Regiment originally had two General Service battalions earmarked for world-wide duties, including taking their turn on operations in Northern Ireland. These were merged into one General Service battalion in 1993. In addition, there were six Home Service battalions, who have now been disbanded. .

The battalion has a standard strength of about 650 all ranks. They have just completed a 6 month active service tour in Iraq on OpTelic and another 3 month active service tour of Helmund Provice in Afghanistan.

They will be moving from Inverness next year to Shropshire where they will take up there role in 16th Air Assault brigade.  The role of the new regiment is exactly the same as that for other regiments and battalions within the Regular Army, namely to keep the peace wherever it serves.

The name The Royal Irish Regiment is the oldest of the Irish regiments; the original Regiment to bear the name traced its history back to 1684 and the raising of a body of troops by the Earl of Granard to fight for King William. The Regiment fought at the battles of the Boyne and Aughrim and went on to fight in many famous battles and campaigns such as Blenheim, Ramillies, The Crimean War, The Boer War, Flanders in 1914 and Gallipoli in 1915. The Royal Irish Regiment was disbanded in 1922.

The new Regiment is not the reformation of the original Royal Irish Regiment (18th Foot), but rather an amalgamation of the Royal Irish Rangers 27th (Inniskilling) 83rd & 87th and the Ulster Defence Regiment which has led to the re-use of an old name.

  Recruitment & Training

The Royal Irish Regiment positively seeks to recruit from all sectors of the community and welcomes all people of goodwill from throughout the British Isles. Potential recruits from the Republic of Ireland are particularly welcome. 

All soldiers of the new Regiment are subject to the law of the land and the Army Act. They have to maintain the highest standards as laid down for the whole of the Regular Army and are subject to military discipline.

Initial recruits for the Regiment train  in Northern Ireland for the first 10 weeks on a fully integrated training course. At the 10 week point the recruits go to the Infantry Training Centre at Catterick in Yorkshire to train in General Warfare, alongside their counterparts from other regiments. This second phase of the recruits course lasts for 12 weeks. Recruits are taught skills ranging from marching to map reading and shooting.   Training continues at various locations dependent upon the skills required, for example, the use of anti-armour weapons and the Saxon mechanised combat vehicle. As the Regiment is part of the Regular Army, access to many specialist training courses and standards of achievement will be the same as throughout the Army.

The Regiment can look forward to travelling all over the world, ranging from deployment on NATO duties to service with the United Nations, or as part of a disaster relief operation in some remote part of the world.

The 1st Battalion The Royal Irish Regiment are now part of 16 Air Assault Brigade and are based at Tern Hill, Shropshire. 
                         
In 1992 the oldest, most distinguished Irish infantry Regiment of the line, the Royal Irish Rangers 27th (Inniskilling) 83rd & 87th (itself the successor to several famous Irish Regiments of the past) amalgamated with the youngest and largest infantry Regiment in the British Army, The Ulster Defence Regiment, to create a new Regiment - The Royal Irish Regiment.

This amalgamation did more than bring together two distinguished Regiments. Its effect was to forge an infantry force with formidable expertise in both conventional infantry warfare and Counter-Terrorist operations. Over the centuries, infantrymen from Ireland have earned an unrivalled reputation as fighting soldiers and demonstrated their courage and service to the Crown in conflicts around the globe, through the generations.

Out of this long history of more than 300 years of service to the Crown, The Royal Irish Regiment looks forward with new confidence to the challange of continuing this glorious tradition in the uncertain times that lie ahead.

The Cold War may have ended and the Warsaw Pact threat may have evaporated - but the world is still a troubled place. Many conflicts rage, inflicting misery and death on countless thousands, and causing widespread disruption and famine. The United Nations is doing its best but in many instances disciplined force is needed to bring peace. The United Kingdom, and its Regiments, still has a role to play on the world stage - as a peace-maker.