The Royal Irish Regiment is made up of two Battalions, one Regular and one Reserve. The regiment is the only one to be awarded the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross which was given by The Queen on the 6th of October 2006.
The regiment was founded in 1992 through the amalgamation of the Royal Irish Rangers and the Ulster Defence Regiment. Its motto is ‘Faugh A Ballagh’ meaning Clear the Way. This originated from the Peninsular War when Ensign Edward Keogh of the 87th Regiment of Foot cried out when capturing a French Eagle.
The 1st Battalion recently switched from air assault infantry to being at the forefront of developing the Foxhound vehicle. They are now the Army’s first Light Mechanized Battalion. The 2nd Battalion provides reinforcements to all 1st Battalion deployments and receives direct support from their Regular counterparts. The 2nd Battalion can also deploy personnel on operations overseas exercises in its own right. Both the 1st and 2nd Battalions could serve worldwide as general service Battalions if needed.
Due to the size of the regiment, it was removed from the King’s Division and existed within its own Division of Infantry.
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