Band of the Royal Irish Regiment
| Band of the Royal Irish Regiment | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1993 to Present |
| Country | .svg.png){kind=small} United Kingdom |
| Branch |  British Army |
| Type | Military band |
| Role | Public duties |
| Size | 32 |
| Part of | Royal Irish Regiment (1992) |
| Headquarters | RHQ—Kinnegar Army Barracks, County Down, Holywood |
| Battle honours | Operation Desert Storm |
| Commanders | |
| Bandmaster | WO1 Richard Douglas[1] |
The Band of the Royal Irish Regiment is a military band and the regimental band of the Royal Irish Regiment and the chief Irish military reserve band in the British Army. Being a reserve band, it is composed of volunteer musicians with the exception of a permanent staff instructor.[2]
History
Previous Irish military bands in the British Army
Ranger band
The Royal Irish Rangers band was established in 1968. It took part in the Edinburgh Military Tattoo in 1979.[3] On 12 January 1991, all 19 members of the band, led by Bandmaster WO1 Clarke, were deployed to a transit camp in Saudi Arabia, where they joined a unit of the Royal Marines in Operation Desert Storm. On 19 January. the band undertook a twelve-hour move towards the border with Iraq to reinforce the 32 Field Hospital, a unit consisting of 600 military personnel of the British Armed Forces. On St Patrick’s Day a parade was led by the band at the hospital.[4]
UDR Pipes and Drums
Each battalion of the Ulster Defence Regiment had a section of professional bagpipers who were formally part of a pipe band (called the Pipes & Drums of the Ulster Defence Regiment).[5] In June 1986, the regiment held a two-day military tattoo at Ravenhill rugby ground in Belfast.[6] The tattoo attracted 12,000 spectators and featured a Beating Retreat by the Pipes and Drums, the Band of the Duke of Edinburgh's Royal Regiment and the Royal Ulster Constabulary Band.[6] The only musical recording by the UDR ever publicly released was the 5 UDR Pipes & Drums' "Irish & Scottish Pipe Music", which included the regimental and battalion marches as well as other Irish tunes.[7]
Today
The band of the Royal Irish formed in 1993, a year later after the regiment. It is features a Band, Bugles, Pipes and Drums which were part of the antecedent regiments. As a result, it boasted the largest regimental musical ensemble in the British Army before being reorganized in October 2007.[8] On 28 April 2012, the band led a parade fora UDR memorial unveiled at the National Memorial Arboretum.[9] The band was performed during the golden jubilee for the Royal Irish Rangers in 2018.[10] During the celebrations, the band performed a "beating retreat" in an event hosted by the Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council.[11]
Uniform
Its uniform follows the traditional full dress uniform of Irish regiments and rifle regiments. The pipers' uniform consists of a saffron kilt, a bottle-green "Prince Charlie" jacket, cape and caubeen with a green hackle.
Regimental marches
Killaloe (Quick)
Killaloe is the regimental quick march of the Royal Irish Regiment.[12] It was originally written by Robert Martin for a musical production called "Miss Esmerelda". There have been various lyrics sang to the song over the years, but in modern times a simple "Yo!" is heard from soldiers towards the end of the song.
Eileen Allanagh (Slow)
Eileen Allanagh is the regimental slow march of the Royal Irish Regiment.[13] It was originally written in 1873 by composer John Rogers Thomas as a ballad.
Old Regimental Marches (Quick)
The Band of the Royal Irish Regiment also plays the regiment quick marches of the Royal Irish's antecedent regiments. They are:
- Rory O'More (Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers)
- St. Patrick's Day (Royal Irish Fusiliers - also the regimental quick march of the Irish Guards)
- Garryowen (Ulster Defence Regiment, Royal Irish Fusiliers)
- Off, Off, Said the Stranger (Royal Ulster Rifles)
- South Down Militia (Royal Ulster Rifles' Pipes and Drums)
Additionally, both Killaloe and Eileen Allanagh were the regimental marches for antecendent regiments.
See also
References
- ↑ "Royal Irish Regiment Band returning to Ballymena for one night only! | Mid & East Antrim Borough Council". Mynewsdesk.com. 17 January 2020. Retrieved 25 March 2020.
- ↑ "THE BAND OF THE ROYAL IRISH REGIMENT LOOK BACK ON A BUSY 2018". Reservesandcadetsni.org.uk. 10 December 2018. Retrieved 25 March 2020.
- ↑ "The Edinburgh Military Tattoo of 1979". BBC. Archived from the original on 27 October 2014. Retrieved 25 March 2020.
- ↑ "Ranger Band deploys on Op GRANBY, Iraq | Royal Irish - Virtual Military Gallery". Royal Irish. 12 January 1991. Retrieved 25 March 2020.
- ↑ Potter p159
- 1 2 Potter p291
- ↑ Gamble p200
- ↑ "Silva Screen Music America". Silvascreenusa.com. Retrieved 25 March 2020.
- ↑ "New tribute to bravery of UDR – Regional – Belfast Newsletter". Newsletter.co.uk. 30 April 2012. Retrieved 17 July 2013.
- ↑ "Parade Marks 50th Anniversary of the Royal Irish Rangers".
- ↑ "In pictures: '˜Beating Retreat' marks 50th anniversary of Royal Irish Rangers | Ulster Star". Lisburntoday.co.uk. Retrieved 25 March 2020.
- ↑ "Killaloe - Origins of our Regimental Quick March | Royal Irish - Virtual Military Gallery". Royal Irish. Retrieved 25 March 2020.
- ↑ The Slow March of The Royal Irish Regiment is called Eileen Alannah. Here it is performed recently in Lisburn. | The Band, Bugles, Pipes and Drums of The Royal Irish Regiment (Video). 15 July 2024. Retrieved 30 May 2026 – via www.facebook.com.