South Irish Horse (S.IR.H)

Background notes:

The South Irish Horse

Six squadrons of the South Irish Horse served in the First World War. On mobilisation individual squadrons joined divisions as divisional cavalry and moved to France. In May 1916 the squadrons were grouped into two corps cavalry regiments known as 1st and 2nd South Irish Horse. The two regiments were dismounted in August 1917, amalgamated, and converted to infantry to form 7th (South Irish Horse) Bn, the Royal Irish Regiment, under which designation they served for the rest of the war. The Battalion sustained heavy casualties at St Quentin in March 1918 and fought at the Battle of Courtrai in October

In common with other units originating in the South of Ireland, the South Irish Horse were disbanded following Partition in 1922. (From Patrick Mileham's " Yeomanry Regiments")

Two photographs of Tpr John F Walsh S.IR.H

The South Irish Horse Memorial in St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin