The Connaught rangers

[bsapsb]

After 1922 their veterans were spat on, disrespected, even burnt out of their homes. Then to add to the ignominy the sectarian murders who supported the IRA's cause claimed them as their own. My grandfather was a Connaught Ranger, he hated the IRA and Sinn Feinn, he called them traitors to Ireland. They say the victors write the history. But the truth lives in those who survived it.

[bsapsb]

A Sergeant John Joseph Barror from the Connaught Rangers was involved in putting two snipers out of action during the Rising in Dublin.

[bsapsb]

In the days after the Rising the Connaught Rangers patrolled the Irish countryside and raided Irish homes. They captured hundreds of Volunteers and their weapons.A number of Connaught Rangers who were in Dublin at the time of the Rising volunteered to join other British army units including the Royal Irish Fusiliers and the Royal Dublin Fusiliers to fight against the Irish rebels.

[bsapsb]

The Connaught Rangers fought against the Irish rebels, who were fighting to end British rule in Ireland and to establish the Irish Republic during the Easter Rising. None of the Connaught Rangers were killed but one was wounded.

[bsapsb]

The majority of British troops deployed to quell the Easter Rising were Irish. They didn't respect the traitors who rose up to stab them in the back in the middle of a World War.

[rtenewsonone]

I wish people would spell Connacht properly!

[Irishtravelerintheus]

My great grand father Patrick Joseph Burke was an irish American soldier who fought in ww2 he didn't even need to and he survived he was awarded two medals of honour from the queen of England and he died of a heartattack a year later

[liamobrien06]

can someone actually tell who the connaught rangers were? were they conscripted to the brits? were they from connaught or was that just the regiment?

[PatsGrandson]

@liamobrien06

88th Regt. From Galway fought in the Napoleonic Wars, India, Crimea, were the Forlorn Hope at Fuentes, Fought in WWI. The Devils Own. The were combined at some point with the 94th forming a second Bn.

[freebeerfordworkers]

Wikipedia

88 were court martialed: 19 sentenced to death (18 had their sentences commuted to life imprisonment), 59 were sentenced to 15 years imprisonment, & 10 were acquitted.

21-year-old Daly was shot by a firing squad on 2 Nov 1920. All 59 were released in 1923 & left London for Dublin in decorated carriages. Several emigrated back to England. In the 1930's the Irish Govt. voted them a special pension but over 200 applied so they asked the British to confirm the names - boy were they PO!

[cameramanAL]

Why does it say 'up the RA' on the video of a song about a group of men who had nothing to do with the IRA?

[MrIrishrover2011]

@cameramanAL are you thick ???? many of these men went on to join the i.r.a. in the fight for independance

[cameramanAL]

@MrIrishrover2011 I left that comment a while ago, but what I meant was that the IRA of today and the IRA those men went on to join were two very different organisations, so it annoys me that today's IRA would try to put their stamp on them.

Thanks for your informative reply though, and the unnecessary aggro too I suppose. If you want a well mannered discussion leave another reply. If you want to throw insults and be rude, don't bother.

[ocean3da]

Ireland's neutrality, 1939-1959. No longer exists.

[liamobrien06]

@ocean3da here im not fighting some horrible godfrosaken war if you think thats not neutrality il take that anyday

[halligan2009]

Connaught Rangers, have nothin got 2 do wiv da ra get ur facts ryt boys

[captjohnmatch56]

i only wish it,or almost anything in life was so simple-maybe to you in your simple world it is.the old saying "ignorance is bliss" i think its due time for you to read your history before you speak your so called mind.check out the great irish famine where millions of irish died needlessly. or the replantation of the irish or the outlawing of their culture and language in a 600+year time frame-and YOU call it immaturity-what a joke!!

[flute4hire]

its shit that many Irish men fought loyaly for Britain then they got treated like shit when they got back.

[captjohnmatch56]

it may of been their only way out of a bad [starving] envioment at the time.

[flute4hire]

some were loyal to the crown not all were rebels, even some catholics were loyal. though some protestants were rebels.

wasnt ''long way to tipperary'' the march of the connaught rangers?

[captjohnmatch56]

i recall,it might not be true,but "long way to tipperary" was at one time a british recruting song then later the irish made it their own.songs and their origins bonce around that area of the world.celts and vickings were everybodys distance relatives.

[flute4hire]

it was adopted by the connaught rangers when they were part of the 16th irish and fought alongside the 32 ulsters.

long way to tipperary was insedently wrote and performed live in 48hr, wrote on the train on the way to a consert hall. theres a plaque on the wall of the victorian buffet bar of a local train station near me saying that the chorus was wrote there.

[captjohnmatch56]

very interesting--not only is irish music great to listen to but most have a great colorful story to go with it like the history of the country.

[flute4hire]

well 'long way to tipperary' was wrote on a train in england, it was a music hall tune of the day. the title comes from the writer overhearing a conversation between an elderly irish & english couple at the station. he herd them say its a ''long way to tiperary'. the writer had a bet that he couldnt write and perform a tune in the time between two concerts litraly 24hrs.

[TONYIRISHPROUD]

its a black and tans anthemn

[flute4hire]

@TONYIRISHPROUD Its quite ironic that some of the Loyalist WW1 songs sing about England selling them out. The start of this song is quite similar to 'English Mans Betrayal''

[Urdalibertine]

@flute4hire

I call it the Ulster-man's gratitude.

[carluketim]

ive read abt this bit of irish history. (british)? only regiment to take an imperial eagle. wow. more medals than the medical corps. wow again. never forgotten. Ireland should honour these men who stood tall and refused to be 2nd class.

[redhotpepper37]

@carluketim You've mistaken them for the 87th Regiment of Foot one of the units that would eventually would end today as the Royal Irish Regiment. Honour where honour due.

[LimeyPipeSmoker91]

@carluketim erm the 44th Regiment of Foot (East Essex) captured an Eagle at Salamanca....wow

[berlin194]

The Connacht Rangers mutineed in India in 1921 in response to the antics of The Black and Tans. The 1st World War ended in 1918. Incidentaly The Connacht Rangers were a Regiment and not a mere battallion.

[locomotive1804]

It's Connacht, the English spelt it Connaught.

Wellington said of the Regiment: 'I don't know what they do to the enemy, but they sure scare the Hell out of me...'

[bluebrothersi]

fuk england! come on scotland ireland 4 eva

[ruaraic]

this song is about my grandfathers 1st cousin,james joesph daly. His family originally came from ballymoe,co.galway but his mother was from westmeath. he is buried in tyrelepass,co.westmeath. he was 22 when he was executed,in india. the 2nd of november 1920.

[Cathain78]

Potato blight, "phytophthora infestans", did spread from America to Europe in 1844, to England and then Ireland in 1845 but it didn't cause famine anywhere. Ireland did not starve for potatoes; it starved for food.

Ireland starved because its food, from 40 to 70 shiploads per day, was removed at gunpoint by 12,000 British constables reinforced by the British militia, battleships, excise vessels, Coast Guard and by 200,000 British soldiers (100,000 at any given moment)

[sandyrow100]

What did people grow before potatoes? it is an imported vegetable in the 16th century so why after the first year people didnt plant something else

[Cathain78]

Because they were forced to sell everything else to pay the extortionate rent to absentee landlords. Remember that shiloads of food were being exported to Britain under gunpoint whilst most of the population starved.

[jratt2]

All other crops grown were used to pay their rent to the landlords. When they ate this they were evicted, and a lack of shelter meant emigration or death. It was the same in Scotland during the Highland Potato famine there.

Hope that helps.

[loislovesdavid]

24165897

u no fk all u grow up and get to fk!

[FeralFury6801]

This SHOULD be the song of the patriots in the U.S. military. We ought not to fight for our empire anymore either. Fuck the yankee empire.....REMEMBER WACO !!

[24165897]

what about yorkshire

we lost more .....but hay forget us...

[Cathain78]

Really, were British forces terrorising Yorkshire at the same time? You should make that untold story heard then....

[24165897]

i wonder if you will have been better off

under french or german rule

what do you think?

[Cathain78]

Better off than having been occupied for centuries, having our culture and language destroyed, being reduced to slavery, and having genocide inflicted against us? How could it have been worse in your opinion?

[24165897]

you talk out your arse..... your language is still there the famine was a lie why did you choose potatoes when you could have done grain was it because potatoes only needed a quater of the field(less work) the blight effected england aswell peel sent money to ireland to help.. but what did the irish do with the money peel sent..... come on tell us.. slavery fk off you soft bugger... genocide come on i'm not a yank you live a lie... time to grow up

[Cathain78]

We did grow grain and other foods.....our occupiers chose to export it by the boatload under gunpoint while millions starved or emigrated.

As one British official lamented "...I fear that a couple of million dead is scarce enough to do any good"

Time to face some uncomfortable facts.

Let's see you respond in your typical fashion - with some good old English Cant.

[24165897]

cathain..ireland will be united

what will you do....

bloodshed... but the english

aren't there to blame...

you all say british then say english

it was the scot's who gave us union

not the english

[Cathain78]

The Scots gave us the Union?

Only in the sense that the Scottish nobles in the Scottish parliament were bribed into handing over Scottish soveriegnty.

I believe the real opinion of the majority of the public at the time is expressed several centuries earlier in the Declaration of Arbroath. Those who orchaestrated the Union were the small foreign clique who had funded William of Orange's usurpation a decade earlier and whose descendents have been in control of the UK ever since.

[TONYIRISHPROUD]

we were occupied m8 dont no were ur from but the occupied 6 counties of YOUR COUNTRY were in a war for 30 odd yrs so wake up 2 ur own history giving comments bout others when ur own ppl died BIG TIME for a CAUSE THEY BELIEVED IN !!!!! not ur mickey mouse mind

[sandyrow100]

There was vote Tony and the 6 counties stayed with Britain thats just like saying that England is occupied by the English. I believe in Democracy, there are are many in Britain who are republicans and scots who want to have independence but unless you are in a majority you have to live with what you hate. Unfortunately republicans believe in MINORITY rule

[Cathain78]

No, what happened was that the majority in Ulster (ie the 9 counties) would have voted to be in the Reublic. So they gerrymandered the border to include the only six counties that that would have an inbuilt Unionist majority and then let them vote independently. It's a bit like drawing a border round parts of Liverpool or London with a large Irish community and then saying those areas voted to be Irish so make them part of the Republic. That's a strange definition of democracy.

[sandyrow100]

Ignoring Sinn Fein coercion a vote of the 9 counties might have produced a slight majority to stay with Britain. Having lost the fight against Home Rule, Carson wanted the 9 counties, however, once he was told they would get devolved government it made this idea impractical in the long term. By the way the VOTE was COUNTY by COUNTY not province, therefore the result was legitimate and democratic, perversely had a southern county such as Kerry voted for the union it would have stayed with britain

[barney999111]

soon there will be a catholic majority in the north.will u still believe in demoracary then sandy? welcome to the republic of ireland . ta ar la ag teacht

[sandyrow100]

Your brain is fuddled by drink. We have had one referendum already and all polls so far show that enough catholics would vote to stay with Britain to make a united Ireland a dim and distant pipedream. Anyway, we are all in a United Europe from December. If Blair gets the EU president's job you will have an english president . All you republicans forget that POPE Adrian 4th gave England carte blanche to do what it wanted with Ireland. Dont know why you went against your own Pope

[Cathain78]

The alleged "Papal Bull" you are referring to is Laudabiliter, & is a known forgery created by the English. It doesn't even exist in the Papal Archives.

[sandyrow100]

You are just miffed that Ireland wasnt informed about it

[sandyrow100]

Whether the "laudabiliter" exists or not in the archives I am not able to confirm and unless you are a citizen of the vatican neither would you. Politically difficult evidence has disappeared especially after the period when Fascism was rife in Europe. From what you say then you believe if its not in the archive then its not true. Therefore it shouild follow that what is in the archives is true. So what about the Gospel of Barnabus, which was found in the archives.?

[Cathain78]

Out of interest, you know that the Orangemen are in fact supporting the Pope of the day by siding with William of Orange. King Billy's two biggest allies were the Pope and the King of Spain, while James was allied with the French King Louis.

Billy brought a papal banner of support with him when he landed and after his victory, travelled to Rome where he attended a Papal High Mass in honour of his victory.

Nice to see the Orangemen being such faithful papists.

[sandyrow100]

Technically I cannot be an orangeman as I am not a protestant and therefore banned from membership of the Orange order. You can take things a step further and say the battle of the Boyne was not on the Twelth of July as at that time they were using the old Julian calendar. It was converted to the twelth when the Gregorian Calendar was accepted which was because of the then POPE, all good fun isnt it.. Still Pope Adrian the fourth gave carte blanche to England with regard to Ireland

[Cathain78]

I never said you were an Orangeman, check below.

As I mentioned, Laudabiliter is a known forgery.

Pope Adrian issued no such thing. Even if he had, he had no authority to do so anyway, so it is a moot point.

[TomBarry192I]

Republicanism was formed by protestants you idiot.

[sandyrow100]

You7 are the idiot, but then all republicans can do is abuse. REPUBLICANISM was founded by the ANCIENT GREEKS, the Irish were one of many who copied it and it is unclear as to which religious group were the first to espose in Ireland

[TomBarry192I]

Irish Republicanism was founded by protestants. So much for your pope comment. Ba hah

[1798Greenflag1916]

@TomBarry192I Brian Boru is the father of Irish republicanism he was Pagan

[TomBarry192I]

Brian Boru was a King.

A Republican can't be a King....

[Todyo1798]

Your thinkin of Wolfe Tone, Boru was just like any other medieval king. He would have apointed lords and dukes to rule over the serfs, no elections or anything.

If Boru had serviced he could have gone on to dominate the British ilses, take over the Ilse of man, outer Hebrides etc. He was fighting the Vikings so he would have ended up scrapping with king Cnut over.

[ocean3da]

@1798Greenflag1916

The man was a thug, like any other in history. All movers and shakers have blood on their hands.

[shuggyduggy]

No, it WAS the Greeks.

Look it up, ya Bum :)

[captjohnmatch56]

it really does not relate to religion-its loyalist to the crown (clown) with special treatment (jobs) against nationalist who want a united ireland with self goverment .most catholics and pres. happen to be nationalist--ecomonic basis not religious

[corsellus]

its not economic or religious. if ireland united tomorrow nothing would change. its all about bitterness and immaturity

[Cathain78]

Sinn Fein coercion? You mean that Sinn Fein would have put a gun aganst people's head and vote? lol

There was nothing democratic about the voting system you are suggesting either. Unless you are telling me that when each English constituency votes they all get a different government depending on who they voted for. So Cornwall gets a Labour government, Devon gets Conservative....is this how democracy work in Britain? Unionists were/are a minority in Ireland as whole. Indisputable fact.

[sandyrow100]

I didnt say that but I am sure Godfather offers were made

[Tehaftalife]

A few of my relatives were in this, im glad a few people have this song up. All i can say is, UP THE IRISH. Long Live the Celtic Fighters. Long Live the IRISH OF EIRE!!!!

[maggoli67]

Sounds like what's happening with the US military who are in fake wars overseas while the police state is taking away freedom at home.

Fight the good fight.

[dwalfrid]

On the orders of YOUR generals.

[kerrygold19l6]

True Words will always Offend da Brits...

[StevieTheAlmighty1]

First time i've ever heard this song, and i really like it :):)

[TONYIRISHPROUD]

u will find history tells you that many many nationalists from the 6 six counties died under this regiment b coz they didnt want 2 b classed as british vols prefered 2 fight as 1 with out bigotry

[dmillerdan86]

ask any country ireland had the best fighters and that is fact check the history but we were badly led and a english man sad that around the time of cromwell, anyway gone of the point we remember these people cause they thought they were doing right by this country remember the greatest hero of the war of independence tom barry fought in world war one

[paddy8461]

we still do and are still proving that amongst the ranks of the british army to this day were not called the fighting irish for nothing

[ajferet]

The Battle of the Pyramids?!?! I am pretty sure the Rangers were not involved in THAT action...

[dubbigot]

hey apincle your hand must be sore after all that repetitive work,but i suppose thats all it does

[darrin42]

Why?!

[erica784]

my greatuncle is james daly he was in the connaught rangers and died by 14 men lining up to shoot him and was NOT part of the i.r.a

[josparkes]

That's awful, I'm so sorry.

Norfolk UK

(female 59)

[Cathain78]

It's not the fault of the ordinary people, as usual it's those in charge and the dupes who blindly follow them.

Removal of occupation forces would be better than any apology and allow us all to move forward in friendship.

[josparkes1]

Thank you for your message, and for telling me about your brave Uncle

[GearardoCearbhaill]

my great grandfather was in the connaught rangers we still have the medals he was given i would like to know more on them can someone please help me

[Cambrensis]

tiocfaidh ár lá - all of us celts built this empire. One day.

[Conall06]

The Wolfe Tones performed this song live in sligo last year in the Clarion Hotel, they done it because a member of James Dalys family was in the audience, and it was an excllent performance, scroll down in the sub menu opposite you will see my recording... excuse it i wasnt too good wif d camera.. but it was an excellent performance!!

[ajferet]

This is perhaps my favorite 'Tones song

[HIBERNIAN04]

(2) Lord Roberts(who considered himself a Waterford Man)asked during the Boer War which Regt he would choose in a tight spot, answered,"give me a hogshead of Guinness and The Connaught Rangers".Its impossible to judge which Regt was better than another.You can be sure that some of the bravest who put on the British Uniform, came from every one of the 32 Counties and still do.

[elboxo]

eloquently put hats off to you

[HIBERNIAN04]

(3) Just to show that its not so easy to judge the mindset of any Irishman of the Great War period or earlier, when the 1st Bn The Connaught Rangers marched out of Athlone Barracks in Nov 1899 on their way to the Boer War, the Regimental Band played "A NATION ONCE AGAIN" and the men sang along as they marched.

[HIBERNIAN04]

(1) Wellington (Dublin)rated the Connaught Rangers his best storm troopers in the Napoleonic Wars.Given the honour of the "Forlorn Hope" at the storming of Ciudad Rodrigo.

[minislot]

my grandfather fought in this regiment until he got wounded in WW1 then the church and the government killed him when he got home

[Republican81]

Because liam mellows they fought for the british until they found out the british were terrorising their native land. fuck the black n tans/psni

[sandyrow100]

All I can say it was lucky for the Connaught Rangers that through English officer class stupidity the Enniskillens were confined to barracks otherwise they would have shown them what for and theyd been no Rangers to Commemorate

[LiamMellows1922]

Why are the Connaught Rangers - who served King and Country across the water - commerated by Republicans?

[Failte89]

a lot of those irishmen who were in ww1 were only there because they were conscripted not because they chose to be there

[HIBERNIAN04]

As a matter of historical fact THERE WAS NO CONSCRIPTION IN IRELAND during World War One -Every Irishman who fought was either a pre-war regular or a volunteer.

[Failte89]

doesn't fucken matter, the brits tried because they couldnt hold their fucking fronts in france and belgium wonder why the gerrys were so much smarter than them, the americans had to save their ass then and 20 years later,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,forget about setting, the sun doesnt even rise any more on the empire

[iaindumfries]

IDIOT..you have no respect ya prick

[thetruth583]

@HIBERNIAN04

I'll tell you something else which is a historical fact. In 1916 after 2 years of butchery on the Western Front the Army had sent hundreds of thousands of young men to their deaths. So they called up retired soldiers, my great grandfather was one of them. Dragged away from his home, his wife, and 5 kids in Dublin and thrown into a Northern Irish battalion. The so called "Ulster Division". He died in Dec 1917, aged 38, leaving a destitute family. No conscription? Bloody as good as.

[liamobrien06]

@thetruth583 my great grandad had to do his 2 years conscription luckily in 1918 few of his lads got fairly badly butchered

[ruariDUFC]

Irishmen were never conscripted.

[nilbud]

Reading skills a problem for you?

[Republican81]

Brilliant song. Up The Ra!

[johno2499]

"The Connaughts... had a reputation second to none for the way the handled the natives...were strong believers in saying that what had been conquered by the sword must be kept by the sword". 'Quis Seperabit'.

[UlsterCommando]

no they were definatly not the best unit in the British army, for instance the gurkha regiments are considerably better, and if they "were the best the British army ever saw" how was the rebellion put down, and they didn't do very well getting into the amroury did they?

ulstercommando

loyal and true

[svenbegorrah]

I presume you refer to the mutiny, 1920, in India??

I'm quite sure they didn't all mutiny. Hence it was quite easily suppressed. They WERE highly esteemed & feared though. I do agree with your point about the Gurkhas. Shame the Brits have treated them so shabbily.

[UlsterCommando]

yes it was a shame the gurkas are treated like toys, the rangers were put- i mean no offense to the loyal rangers but saying they were the best Britian ever had is very exaggerated

[UlsterCommando]

"the rangers were put-" forget that don't know how it got in there

[jeffhegarty]

All the same, if they were kept on by the British Army for so long, they must have been good for something. Ask any army be it the French, the Spanish or the US, no one takes a bullett better than an Irishman. The Brits know this, otherwise they wouldn't still have Irish regiments. Never underestimate thse folks

[UlsterCommando]

what irish regiments?

[jeffhegarty]

Irish Guards, Royal Irish Regiment. Who else?

[UlsterCommando]

your not irish if your not from the rep. of ireland

[jeffhegarty]

But all the men in them (those that are from the Repbulic) count as Irish. I'm not saying that they all belong in the Curragh, but the establishment labelled these two regiments as Irish, why argue?

[UlsterCommando]

point taken

[jeffhegarty]

Christ knows I likes making them, arrogant little sod that I be. So this question's for everyone: does anyone know why Derek Warfield went solo? I don't trust Wikipedia on this one (the f***er probably wrote it himself?)

[mcvicker666]

The flag was not hijacked my granfather was with the rangers they were the best the british army ever had

[judgekid]

This is a good song; however i don't like the way you have hijacked the national flag for your political views.

[catalpa]

I prefare the origanal version when Derek was there and when Noel played the pipes,,,,,,still a great song by Brian

[darrin42]

I have that version. I will be uploading soon. Keep a look on my profile.

[jeffhegarty]

Why is Derek now going solo? Never could figure that one out?

[josparkes1]

I believe there was a falling out between Derek and Brian, a great pity.

[jeffhegarty]

As I understand, Derek was going behind the others' backs vis a vis contracts. To be honest, I've kinda gone off the whole lot of them.

[josparkes1]

I don't think that is a good reason to go off The Wolfe Tones, but it's your choice of course. As they are brothers I think it's a pity to fall out though.

[jeffhegarty]

Oh I wasn't going off them on account of the feud. My musical tastes just went through a little tweaking he he he he he

[josparkes1]

OK it happens !