Register and Index of

IRISH REGIMENTS

      "Irishness" means that the regiment at some time in its history had an Irish name and adopted items of Irish dress and custom. It does not necessarily imply that the regiment ever recruited in Ireland or Irish expatriate communities, or had a predominant number of members of Irish ancestry. Since the Irish were represented in disproportionate numbers throughout the British Army, it is difficult to define "Irishness". Many regiments and battalions were originally or predominantly recruited in Ireland with no implication that the unit had an Irish character. These are not included in this list. Some English and Scottish regiments had a majority Irish personnel. For example, The Gloucestershire Regiment was once described as the most Irish regiment in the British Army. These also are not listed here. Forces of the Irish Republic are also not included.

      See also the separate Irish County Index of the Militia and Volunteers of the British Army, which for the most part are not included here.

      Links lead to a dedicated regimental page.  Flags help to visualise the nationality of regiments, but these are not necessarily intended to represent the flags under which these corps served.