British Army Retreat from Ireland - The Curragh Handover

In 1922 the British Army finally withdrew from Irish soil.

[@galolito]

After reading the comments I am reminded of when I was working for the US census and a black man came to his door. 'What race are you?' I asked. 'Human', he replied. He got the answer right.

[@sarsfieldabu3223]

RIC leaving at start, British Army troops presenting arms, possibly Phoenix park depot?

[@GnuTex]

The men pictured up as far as 3.12 are members of the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) rather than the British Army, this is apparent from their uniforms, rank markings and insignia. Not sure of the location, but it's not the Curragh Camp. It may be the Artillery Barracks in KIldare town.

[@johndonovan8062]

It is what is known now as the Garda depot in the phoenix park Dublin. It was then the RIC depot.

[@EdMcF1]

0:45 'Farewell, gentlemen! Off you go now, and leave us to our civil war.' the sad reality.

[@Minime163]

The British were running around like headless chickens looking for Micheal Collins for 3 years. Too months after the civil war started the Irish got him the moral of the story is if you want to kill an Irishman get an Irishman to do it.

[@SnookerAce2000]

My Grandfather was there that Day. Great music, Great images, Great memories of an event that he talked about often. Thanks for posting, great uploads, as always. Well done, keep it up John

[@philiprufus4427]

The Song is about the Peninsular war in Spain ITS BRITISH ! WHAT WOULD THE I R A HAVE DONE IF CHURCHILL HAD GONE AHEAD AND INVADED THE SOUTH? THE BRITISH HAD A MILLION MEN IN THE HOME ARMY AT THAT POINT, COLLINS KNEW THAT. HE ALSO KNEW 'THE CAUSE' WAS SHORT ON ARMS AND AMMUNITION. COLLINS WON THE FREE STATE,AND THEY KILLED HIM FOR IT

[@patricklamshear6662]

It was not a retreat it was a hand over of power.

[@michaelshanahan4042]

Quite right it was a hand over because they had their back sides kicked

[@adammagill930]

@@michaelshanahan4042 lol hardly

[@lassmichruhe]

@@michaelshanahan4042 not at all. If the British government were too brutal, they would lose Ireland. But they were too soft in reality, and they lost ireland aswell.

[@johnedwards2759]

@@lassmichruhe 42 Million Irish Americans. If they were too brutal, America would have landed troops.

[@Minime163]

@@johnedwards2759 would they fck the yanks could have settled the debate once and for all by recognising Irish independence but Truman didn't want to offend America new ally.

[@johnsylvester951]

We still have to finish the job and make sure no British man ever wears a uniform in Ireland again.

[@dod4004]

Well presumably the hundreds of thousands who will opt to retain British citizenship in the north won't be barred from serving the the emergency and armed services in a unified state? Thank goodness Sinn Fein has some very intelligent people in it because you certainly couldn't sell unification!

[@MrLorenzovanmatterho]

No they didn't, we maintained our garrisons in the Treaty Ports right up to 1938 (in a nice piece of symbolism the Union flag was lowered by one brother and the Tricolour raised by another, one a Sgt in the British Army, one in the Free State). Plus of course the British Army is still here in NI today.

[@philiprufus4427]

@duncan stirling If the people living there are agreed in the majority,im sure they are welcome,that does not seem to be the case so far.

[@uingaeoc3905]

@duncan stirling The Six Counties are 'occupied' by Irishmen and Irish people. They do NOT have 'English Masters'. They do have Globalist enemies in the EU and the Erse Lickers of Brussels in the Dail - the three Faiche Repoblichaine parties SF, FG and FF. It is vile, vicious, obscene sectarianism of pretending that Unionists are not Irish that causes the problems.

[@Kitiwake]

@@philiprufus4427 in theory. No one knows the future.

[@fezmancomments]

@duncan stirling Perhaps my English masters could arrange to hand Liverpool over at the same time. 😉

[@pauldoyle9709]

Erin go Bragh

[@harleyandmollie]

Erin is my name

[@SnookerAce2000]

Vielen dank Herr Kaiser - gut gesprochen

[@michaelellard4664]

Nice music

[@adammagill930]

title is completely wrong

[@kennethkilleen8758]

If you have to have 60k troops in Ireland what does that tell you..

[@GrenvilleP710]

It tells you that you have a lot of troops. As most of the 60,000 were actually Irish.

[@uingaeoc3905]

Now the Irish can get down to fighting the real enemy - each other.

[@tireachan6178]

"I do hate those filthy paddy spud gobbling papists!" Me, an Irish Catholic.

[@irishjw]

As has been best said if we Irish fought the English as hard as each other they would have left Ireland centurys ago

[@tireachan6178]

@@irishjw like the Native Americans.

[@irishjw]

@@tireachan6178 Good point. Would have been early on like king Philips war. Had biggest percentage lose of any war America fought.

[@Minime163]

Ahhh don't tell Jeffery he's Irish.

[@jahmah519]

You know what brought this withdrawal about, The battle of the Somme. Not that we should be there anyway, reunite Ireland & you protestants & loyal to Britain come over here, we will find you a home.

[@uingaeoc3905]

I see, brave Irishmen fighting the Kaiser on the Western Front so the Kaiser arms traitors to stab them in the back in Dublin.

[@Kitiwake]

Some mothers have nutters.

[@metisman100]

was your grand father a brit or a pady

[@drewwilliams6888]

Cracking music

[@Minime163]

I think it's over the hills and far away old English folk song.

[@pmcl3616]

That's the police

[@bmc5075]

This was a hand over of power not a retreat see our Irish soldiers with greatness and delighted and in der hearts now on your bike

[@philiprufus4427]

There were six Irish regiments in the British Army at this time,and although some joined 'The cause' a lot were happy to have a go at the I R A. A fact thats evidenced by the case that over thirty percent of The R I C Auxies were Irish and a good few were American, Australien, Canadian, and New Zealanders.Some were also Scots. A pound a day was a lot of money in 1920 especially if it was seven days plus expenses.

[@Minime163]

@@philiprufus4427 well it was just one form of irishness versus another some thought Ireland was better off with the British connection because remember the home rule bill was passed in 1914. Others wanted a total brake from Britain they were all fighting for Ireland in their own way except of coarse the British members of the army.

[@uingaeoc3905]

@@Minime163 You mean the Irish members of the British Army. Also the RIC in this video are all Irishmen.

[@Minime163]

@@uingaeoc3905 of coarse not their from timbuktu

[@reb0118]

@@Minime163 would that be the Curragh Race Coarse?...😉

[@vestty5802]

When almost all the Irish regiments were disbanded

[@bmc784]

I Interested in what you have to say

[@vestty5802]

B Mc all the Irish regiments of the British army were disbanded that day except for the ones up north

[@irishboer7124]

@@vestty5802 the Irish Guards were not Northern, mostly southerners. They still exist.

[@reb0118]

@@irishboer7124 The Guards have always been a bit "special".

[@pmcl3616]

They are all probably Irishmen there

[@mexicanfries5336]

Yes, any man with sence went with the British to England. The alternative was to starve in Ireland regardless of whomever was elected. The same applies today.

[@GrenvilleP710]

The British Army didn't retreat from Ireland. It's stil.there .It withdrew from the country of Southern Ireland upon it being granted independence

[@Minime163]

Shhhhhsh don't tell norn iron that their in Ireland you'll start another war.

[@bmc784]

Adr

[@alanreanolds8203]

It seems the British got the message, how many hundred years too late?

[@patricklamshear6662]

Seven +.

[@jameslynch7826]

Don’t think so actually. We kept the bit we needed.

[@lassmichruhe]

@@jameslynch7826 fabulous Ulster. Unfortunately the British government abandoned many of its citizens in the new free state

[@philiprufus4427]

@@lassmichruhe But all the engineering went North(source - a supplier to the Guiness Factory who was in Dublin up until the treaty)

[@Minime163]

As mick Collins said to the English officer when he complained about him been late your 750 years late you can have your 5 minutes.

[@Kaiser3945]

You say that as if its a bad thing? I'd rather be a Gerry than a Tommy any day.

[@philiprufus4427]

Try saying THAT ! In a country once occupied by the NAZI'S. One can stroll down a road in France and still see a shrine to the victims of one of DAS REICHS road outings today, whilst having what you thought was a quiet walk

[@EdMcF1]

Read about Leuven (Louvain) and the massacres of civilians in the first days of WW1 by the Imperial German Army. One month of Imperial German occupation and they would have welcomed the Tommies back with open arms. As for WW2, Oradour-sur-Glane

[@mcmc2791]

No need for an Irish flag our sheep and 🏇 speak for us all

[@celtbell]

and you brits would be speaking german if it wasn't for the yanks...by the way over a hundred thousand Irish men fought in your army

[@geopornicus3944]

Nope , The Russians did everything , go learn some history , the yanks just took the already half-eaten bones.

[@trucker10ist]

so true

[@Peter-lm3ic]

The Brits held out against the Germans with Europe occupied. The US entered the war due to Pearl Harbour not because of the Germans occupation of Europe. Germany failed to invade the U.K. due to the Battle if Britain. If the Brits had not held out Europe would now be under German or Russian control. Don’t forget the Irish Government regularly sent Birthday Greetings to Hitler. The Irish cannot exactly hold their heads high during the 1939 to 1945 conflict. Thankfully many Irish volunteered during that war for British service for which we thank them!

[@celtbell]

@@Peter-lm3ic another brit that hasn't a clue..America went to war with Germany because Germany declared war on America directly after the Japanese attacked pearl harbour...the Irish government regularly passed german u boat movement in Irish waters..also our Atlantic weather stations passed weather patterns to the allies..D day was to be on 5 June but the weather reports from co mayo informed them of very bad weather so it was postponed until the 6th..but dont forget 20 years before ww2 your army were murdering innocent Irish people..and we hold our heads up high that as a people we never backed down from the murdering British empire.

[@orangepekoe5243]

@@celtbell 20 years prior to the war both the British and Irish were murdering each other and their civilian counterparts, even veterans who had fought in the British army were shamed by the Irish when they got home and a great deal were killed by their friends for their service. I’m not trying to justify the atrocities of the British in Ireland but I hate how it’s portrayed as a one sided coin, it was only the British that killed civilians and all that. Both sides committed atrocities against one another.

[@burn248]

The irish in dream cuckoo land!

[@irishboer7124]

Just look at it like you do Dunkirk, another ass kicking you got.

[@philiprufus4427]

@@irishboer7124 Brilliantly executed tactical withdrawl thanks to the Navy with some help. Even the German Generals said so.

[@burn248]

The irish would be german citizens! If not for the brits who faught in ww11.

[@RobertK1993]

More Irish soilders if anything Brit Irishmen rebuilding Britain 🇮🇪

[@RobertK1993]

@@geopornicus3944 Brits where losing until Germans invaded Soviet Union and Pearl Harbour

[@user-sb3ux7ku6j]

England = Saxon = germans....!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@givenfirstnamefamilyfirstn3935]

Who tough yuo to spell?

[@philiprufus4427]

Really ! I take it you would include the Scots born German Auxie officer who initiated the burning of Cork in that. He got upset because the I R A threw a hand grenade into a truck at Dillons Cross wounding and killing some of his fellow war veterans. So he took it upon himself along with other R I C to set fire to the town centre. This guy came from a wealthy family in Selkirk in the Scottish borders and was second generation German. Don't think he would have approved of the Scot Nats somehow.

[@mickgrant4262]

It sickens me that so many left Alive

[@rorykinsella8826]

Are you referring to your ancestors. The name Grant is not irish so who are you referring two.

[@mickgrant4262]

The irishmen fought for the Wrong army in Both world Wars

[@philiprufus4427]

They were smart,they were on the winning side,God Bless the Irish !

[@mickeencrua]

They were Brits when WW1 broke out. They were opportunists when WW2 broke out.

[@liamanderson1960]

Hard to believe after 800 years of occupation