Band of the Royal Irish Regiment
| Band of the Royal Irish Regiment | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1993 to Present |
| Country |  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 serving as the regimental band for Royal Irish Regiment (established in 1992) 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
[edit]Previous Irish military bands in the British Army
[edit]Ranger band
[edit]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
[edit]Each battalion of the Ulster Defence Regiment had a section of professional bagpipers who were part of a formally 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] It attracted 12,000 residents of the city and the performance of a Beating Retreat by the Pipes and Drums and the Band of the Duke of Edinburgh's Royal Regiment and the Royal Ulster Constabulary Band.[6] The only UDR recording ever publicly released was the 5 UDR Pipes & Drums performing "Irish & Scottish Pipe Music", which includes the regimental and battalion marches as well as other Irish tunes.[7]
Today
[edit]The band in 1993, a year later after the regiment.[clarification needed] It uniquely combined the bugles, pipes, and drums from both regiments. As a result, boasted the largest regimental musical ensemble in the British Army before being reorganized in October 2007.[8] On 28 April 2012, a parade to a UDR memorial unveiled at the National Memorial Arboretum was led by the band.[9] The band was present during the Rangers' golden jubilee 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
[edit]Its uniform follows the traditional full dress uniform for of Irish regiments and rifle regiments. The pipers uniform consists of a saffron kilt, a bottle-green "Prince Charlie" jacket, cape and caubeen. Unlike other Irish regiments, UDR pipers did not wear a traditional hackle and the lining colour of the cloaks was unique to the regiment.
Regimental marches
[edit]Killaloe
[edit]Killaloe is the regimental march of The Royal Irish Regiment as well as the South African Irish Regiment. When playing the On such occasions, at a time generally given by the Sergeant-Major, the Band would make a pause, during which all ranks would give a 'Connaught Yell!', then continue playing.[12]
See also
[edit]- Band and Bugles of The Rifles
- Band of the Irish Guards
- British Army bands
- British Columbia Regiment Band
- Irish Defence Forces School of Music
- NYPD Pipes and Drums
References
[edit]- ^ "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. 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
- ^ a b 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.