Royal Irish Regiment

[nedda]

Hi,

Just wondering if somebody can point me in the right direction.  I have an ancestor born in Philadelphia in 1769.  We believe that his father may have been in the irish army. Was advised if he was born in USA, being of Irish decent he could still be referred to as being Irish - which could explain the later discrepancy of his birth place on one census being ireland and usa on another.

So I am trying to somewhere that has a listing of names so I can check.

It's a needle in a haystack I know, but have got to try something.

Thanks

[corisande]

Nedda

I am a bit confused. You have put "Royal Irish Regt" as thread title, but this regiment only came intp existence in  1881 as part of the Childers Reforms the regiment became the Royal Irish Regiment, and served as the county regiment of Tipperary, Waterford, Wexford and Kilkenny. Prior to that it was clled 18th Foot.

The "Irish Army" only came into existence in 1922  . Before that there were Irish men in British Army, but only after 1881 do you get the "Irish Regiments"

There were in addition Militias in Ireland run by local worthies.

Can you clarify if he was British Army or local Militia?

[nedda]

Hi,

I was a bit worried about that.  I googled it, found a reference to the Royal Irish Regiment, I did see the 18th Irish Regiment of Foot which you mention.

The article I read mentioned that the forces left in May 1767 arriving in Philadelphia in July 1767.

"Within the dank, damp reaches of those ships were the officers, men, women and children of the 18th (Royal Irish) Regiment of Foot. The Royal Irish had been stationed in Dublin Castle prior to their leaving Ireland. Within the ranks were a wide variety of men. "

We don't know for sure that he was in the army, there is the family "rumour" that he was, but no concrete evidence.

So basically what you are saying is that the person would have been listed with the British Army??

Thanks & sorry for confusion.

[corisande]

OK

As I understand it you think your ancestor may have had a connection to 18th Foot

You are going to have to research 18th Foot. The good news is that there is a book (I interrogated AbeBooks.com) the bad news is it would cost you $200 - you might get it from a library though

" HISTORICAL RECORD OF THE EIGHTEENTH, OR, THE ROYAL IRISH REGIMENT OF FOOT: CONTAINING AN ACCOUNT OF THE FORMATION OF THE REGIMENT IN 1684, AND OF ITS SUBSEQUENT SERVICES TO 1848.
Cannon, Richard.
Price: US$ 185.65

Book Description: 1st ed., 1848. Xxxvi + 91 pp., 3 hand-coloured plates. Contemporary red cloth; blind tooling; gilt; edges uncut; 23 x 14cm. Foxing mainly to prelims o/w V.G. Five extra cuttings tipped-in. Here is a record of the 18th or Royal Irish Regiment of Foot from its formation in 1684 through to 1848. As the Regiment’s colour bear testimony, the Royal Irish served with distinction in the storming and capture of the castle of Namur in 1695; then later in the expulsion of the French army from Egypt in 1801; and later still, in the war with China from 1840 to 1842. These and other services are recorded in this volume that is popular for its three hand-coloured plates, one of which depicts a particularly fine scene from the Battle of Blenheim in 1704. Bookseller Inventory # C112B281

[Massinissa]

It is true the official name was 18th Regiment of Foot until the reforms but it was frequently called the Royal Irish long before that as indicated in the name of the work mentioned in this thread:

Historical Record of the Eighteenth, the Royal Irish Regiment of Foot; Containing an Account of the Formation of the Regiment in 1684, and of its Subsequent Services to 1848, Compiled by Richard Cannon, Esq., Adjutant-general's Office, Horse Guards, London

Which was published in 1848. This book, with some transcription errors and minus plates, is available on line at :

http://www.archive.org/stream/recordofeighteen00canniala/recordofeighteen00canniala_djvu.txt

There is a 1922 history of the regiment available also called The Campaigns and History of the Royal Irish Regiment From 1684 to 1902 by Lieutenant-Colonel G. Le M. Gretton. It has recently been reprinted and is available through Chapters and Amazon.

Our 18th connection is much later than that being discussed here. My great-great-great-grandfather William Doheny and his son in law Michael Kelly were both in the Regiment as were family members in the First World War. These books helped me to reconnect with this part of our family heritage.

God bless

John Paul Bradford