An Irish Catholic Amateur Military Tradition in the British Army? The Irish Militia, 1793-1908

Abstract

Both an Irish military tradition and an amateur military tradition have been explored in the historiography involving the study of British Army as they relate to forces recruited and serving in Ireland over two centuries. This article will take this exploration further by arguing that it is possible to demonstrate that an Irish Catholic amateur military tradition existed in the Irish Militia, as established in 1793, and existing until the turn of the twentieth century. This Irish Catholic tradition fed into these two broader traditions, becoming integral parts of them, while also exerting Irish identity in its own ways.