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Irish Guards

Battalions 1st Battalion

The Irish Guards is a Light Role Infantry Battalion affectionately, and widely, known as The Micks. The Irish Guards, part of the Guards Division, is a Foot Guards regiment based in Mons Barracks, Aldershot. The regiment takes its motto, 'Quis Separabit' or 'Who shall separate us?' from the Order of St Patrick, an order of chivalry founded by George III. As a Foot Guards Regiment the Irish Guards Regiment is involved in public and ceremonial duties at Buckingham Place, Windsor Castle, St James's Palace and The Tower of London. St Patrick's Day is the traditional celebration of the Irish Guards and fresh shamrock is presented to members of the regiment. The Battalion is made up of five companies with a variety of supporting arms and has recently deployed on operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. One of the Guards' roles in Afghanistan was mentoring soldiers from the Afghan National Army.

As a Foot Guards Regiment the Irish Guards are involved in public and ceremonial duties. Based in Windsor, London, the Battalion conducts ceremonial duties at Buckingham Place, Windsor Castle, St James's Palace and The Tower of London. The grouping of the buttons on the tunic is a common way to distinguish between the regiments of the Foot Guards. The Irish Guards' buttons are worn in two rows of four, reflecting the regiment's position as the fourth most senior Guards regiment, and the collar is adorned with a shamrock on either side. The Guards also wear a blue plume on the right side of their bearskins. Blue is the colour of the mantle and sash of the Order of St. Patrick, an order of chivalry founded by George III of the United Kingdom for the Kingdom of Ireland in 1783. The Irish Guards also take their cap star and motto from the order.

The current regiment was formed on 1 April 1900 by order of Queen Victoria in recognition of the many courageous acts carried out by Irish soldiers in the Second Boer War. In acknowledgment and commemoration of the brave and honourable part taken by the Irish troops in the Boer War an Irish regiment of Foot Guards was added to the Brigade of Guards in 1900 by command of Queen Victoria. Unlike the Scots Guards, which were largely English, the Irish Guards were almost exclusively Irish. Badges: the Cross of the Order of St. Patrick and the Shamrock. Recruiting area: all Ireland.

The Irish Guards' first honorary Colonel-of-the-Regiment was Field Marshal Lord Roberts, known to many troops as 'Bobs'. For a time, the regiment gained the nickname 'Bob's Own' but are now known affectionately as 'The Micks' (this term is not seen as offensive or derogatory by the regiment). Bill Browns are the Grenadiers, the Jocks are Scots Guards, the Taffies are the Welsh Guards, the Micks are the Irish, and the Goalies are the Coldstream. Amongst the rank and file they are only referred to by their nicknames.

The regiment's first Colours were presented by Edward VII in May 1902 at Horse Guards Parade. A few Irish Guardsmen saw action as mounted infantry in the final stages of the Boer War. Otherwise, the Regiment was stationed in the UK for the first fourteen years of its existence, performing ceremonial duties in London during that time until the beginning of World War I.

After long struggles the Irish people had won back from England a series of rights—ownership of the land, religious equality, educational freedom, local self-government—an advance which had coincided with and been helped by the emancipation and rise of British democracy. The culmination was reached when in the session of 1914 the Imperial Parliament passed the Act to establish national self-government. Ireland had said, "Trust me with this, and I will wipe out the past and be loyal to the Empire"; and the answer—somewhat long delayed, no doubt, but still it came—was the King's signature to the Government of Ireland Act. Thus when the war arrived Ireland had at once a charter of rights and liberties of her own to defend, and, like Botha's South Africa, her plighted word to make good.

The Irish Guards played a major part in both World Wars, winning a total of six Victoria Crosses including the last one to be presented in the Second World War. They have seen armed conflict in many parts of the world since.

In 2000, the 100th year of the creation of the Irish Guards, Liverpool granted them the freedom of the city. The following year the regiment took part in training exercises in Poland, BATUS in Canada and the large exercise in Oman called Saif Sareea II. At the 2002 funeral of the Queen Mother, the coffin bearer-party was made up of Irish Guardsmen. This was a remarkable honour, given the fact that the late Queen Mother not only was not the regiment's colonel (she was, in fact, colonel-in-chief of the Black Watch), she had no official connection with the regiment at all, in spite of her long identification with it.

The regiment deployed to Kuwait during the build-up to the Iraq War in 2003. The Irish Guards were part of the 7th Armoured Brigade (successor of the famed 7th Armoured Division, 'The Desert Rats') and began training for the war. The battalion was split up with companies, platoons and sections being attached to various units of the Desert Rats. Upon crossing the Iraq border, the Desert Rats began the journey towards the area around Basra, gradually taking control of much of the area that surrounded Iraq's second largest city. : The 1st Battalion, Irish Guards became the first unit to be officially awarded battle honours for service in Iraq in 2005 - this was to enable these to be displayed on the battalion's new regimental colour during the Sovereign's Birthday Parade.

In 2011 Prince William was appointed to the honorary rank of Colonel of the Irish Guards.