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IRISH BATTALIONS: DOWNLOAD TEXT - IRISH REGIMENTS

The Irish Divisions in the British Army 1914 to 1918: The regular British Army was not prepared for war in 1914, altogether it had only six divisions. General Kitchener, who was a Kerryman (once called 'an accidental Irishman'), set about raising a new volunteer army. The British high command had sent the regular army to France in August and it was practically destroyed at Mons. It was imperative they recruit a new army. The target Kitchener set was 100,000 men. The first army of Kitchener’s volunteers were known as known as K1, the second army was known as K2, the third known as K3 and so on up to K5.

In Ireland, the first batch of volunteers to answer Kitchener’s call were put into the service battalions of the Irish Regiments which made up the 10th (Irish) Division. These regiments and battalions were, 5th Battalion the Royal Irish Regiment (18th Foot); 6th Battalion the Royal Irish Rifles; 5th Battalion the Connaught Rangers; 6th Battalion the Leinster Regiment; 6th and 7th Battalion the Royal Dublin Fusiliers; 6th and 7th Battalion the Royal Munster Fusiliers; 5th and 6th Battalion the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers; 5th and 6th Battalion the Royal Irish Fusiliers. 

The number 10 was simply the 10th Division in the territorial numbering system the British used to number their army divisions, thus there was the 9th (Scottish) Division, the 10th (Irish) Division and the 11th (Northern) Division, etc.

Kitchener had a high regard for the fighting qualities of Irish soldiers. He disliked politicians, particularly politicians with their own armies. He was very suspicious of both the Ulster Volunteers and the National Volunteers. He regarded the National Volunteers as little better than rebels. To arm them in any way was tantamount to rendering aid and succour to the king’s enemies. Kitchener was only interested in attracting Irish recruits for the regular army. Kitchener rejected Redmond’s offer to form an Irish Army to fight along side the English, Scottish and Welsh troops. Forty years after the end of the Great War, Hubert Gough wrote of Kitchener’s rejection of Redmond’s offer. ‘Kitchener’s refusal added a bloody page to Irish history.’ The initial three Divisional Commanders Kitchener appointed to these new Irish Divisions were all Protestant Irish Unionists. The Dublin Fusiliers had battalions in the 10th and 16th (Irish) Divisions, they had none in the 36th (Ulster) Division.

The Infantry and Cavalry Irish Regiments of the British Army in 1914

Regiment Name		Recruiting area		Depot	
The Royal Irish Regiment
(18 foot)		Tipperary, Wexford, Waterford, Kilkenny		Clonmel	
The Royal Munster Fusiliers		Cork, Kerry, Limerick, Clare		Tralee	
The Connaught Rangers		Galway, Sligo, Mayo, Roscommon, Leitrim		Renmore	
The Inniskilling Fusiliers		Fermanagh, Donegal, Derry		Omagh	
The Royal Irish Rifles		Belfast, Down, Antrim, Tyrone		Belfast	
The Royal Irish Fusiliers		Monaghan, Armagh, Cavan		Armagh	
The Leinster Regiment		Offaly, Meath, Louth, Laois		Birr	
The Royal Dublin Fusiliers		Dublin, Kildare, Wicklow, Carlow			Naas	
The Irish Guards		All over Ireland		Chelsea Barracks, London	
The Tyneside Irish
24th, 25th, 26th, 27thBattalions of Northumberland Fusiliers		Newcastle		Alnwick Camp	
The London Irish Rifles		London		Duke of York Barracks, Chelsea, London	
The King's Liverpool Regiment		Liverpool		Seaforth Barracks	
Mainly only Irish in name
The 4th (Royal Irish) Dragoon Guards
The 5th (Royal Irish) Lancers
The 6th (Inniskilling) Dragoons
The 8th (King’s Royal Irish) Hussars
					
The South Irish Horse		Southern Ireland		Clonmel	
The North Irish Horse		Belfast, Down, Antrim, Tyrone, Cavan, Derry, Donegal, Armagh, Monaghan		Belfast