Some of our reenactment ideas have taken off and some haven't - some morphed into other ideas and so on. This idea was from around the mid 90s and was to be a reconstruction of this - Mountcashel's - one of the original Wild Geese regiments - eventually becoming the famous Lee regiment. The reason for doing this was the fact that the Irish Brigade was the home of English-speaking Jacobites as well as Irish and so we could be Anglophone Frenchmen, but this idea gave way to do Kirke's Regiment for the Monmouth Rebellion which was more geographically in our neck of the woods. However I still like the idea - not sure why as I am not Catholic but I think my association with lost causes takes over here. It's an attractive uniform with its lace and green cuffs etc. Official County Tyrone WebsiteKing James' Irish Army Lists 1689 I found some of the bumph we put out at Trade Fairs and so on. Here's an excerpt.
Historical background by David Wilton
Justin MacCarthy, Lord Mountcashel commanded the Irish Brigade in the service of France.
The regiment was formed in 1683 from a number of Irish independent companies which were part of the English garrison of Tangiers. It served in the campaign of 1689 receiving heavy casualties at Newtownbutler. Later it was part of a body of troops exchanged for a number of French units which were sent to Ireland.
Straight into the field the Irish Brigade contributed to Marshal Catinat's victories in Savoy against the Piedmotese in 1690. Mountcashel's distinguished themselves in these Alpine campaigns. Then served in the French Army in Catalonia where it was present at the storming of fortresses along the Franco-Spanish borders. The regiment then went on to fight in Germany and was present at the capture of Heidelberg. Mountcashel died of wounds in this campaign and he was replaced by Andrew Lee, formerly Lieutenant-colonel of Clare's Irish Regiment. Before the end of the war in 1698 the regiment fought in Italy and the Low Countries.
Does anyone know the specific firearm MountCashel's regiment would have used before service with France and during the first 2-3 years in the service of France?
ReplyDeleteThey would be armed with Matchlocks most probably English issue, as they were part of the Irish establishment of Charles II and then James II Crown forces. Later they would be issues with French kit as they would leave their equipment at home to equip other troops.
ReplyDeleteOireas