Regiment of Hibernia

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Uniform and colonel’s flag of the Hibernia Regiment, mid-eighteenth century, (A. Valdés Sánchez. Brown University Library, Madrid, 1993)
Uniform and colonel’s flag of the Hibernia Regiment, mid-eighteenth century, (A. Valdés Sánchez. Brown University Library, Madrid, 1993)
Officer in Hibernia Regiment, in typical red jacket and green sash, late 18th century(Bueno Correa 1986)
Officer in Hibernia Regiment, in typical red jacket and green sash, late 18th century(Bueno Correa 1986)

The Regiment of Hibernia (O'Neill's Regiment) was formed in 1710 from some of the many Irishmen who fled their own country in the wake of the Flight of the Earls and the penal laws and who became known as the Wild Geese a name which has become synonymous in modern times for Irish soldiers throughout the world.

Although the Wild Geese are more associated with the French Army and are indeed seen as the precursors of the French Foreign Legion the regiment [1] the Regiment of Hibernia served with the Spanish Army, one of many Irish regiments to do so.

Due to the number of wars Spain was involved in during the early 18th century the counrty could not provide itself with enough soldiers for its own campaigns. This was also exacerbated by the severe loss of manpower as a result of a plague epidemic. Diplomatic approaches were made to a number of countries with requests for the recruitment of mercenaries to fight for Spain. Germans, Italians and Wallons were recruited but the Spanish were particularly keen to engage Irishmen because of their reputation as soldiers. The Confederation of Kilkenny established licences for the recruitment of Irishmen to fight with the King of Spain.

It is remarkable that for almost a century the Irish regiment of Hibernia in Spain was never without at least one O'Neill among its senior officers. At the formation of the regiment in 1709 the senior captain was Arthuro O'Neill. [2]

One remarkable facet of so many Irishmen fighting for opposing nations in Europe was that they occasionally faced each other as enemies on foreign battlefields. The Hibernia Regiment found itself in this position at the siege of Badajoz in 1811 when they faced the Irish Legion under the command of the French.[3]


Contents

[edit] Campaigns & Battles

Battle of Zaragoza (1710),
Battle of Brihuega
Battle of Villaviciosa
Siege of Barcelona (1714)
Siege of Gibraltar
Ceuta 1720-21
Brazil 1777
Jamaica 1780

[edit] Notables

General Don Alejandro "Bloody" O'Reilly [4]
The Marquess of Lede
Arturo O'Neill

[edit] References

  1. ^ Triskelle - Irish history: Penal Laws
  2. ^ Wild Geese Heritage Museum and Library, Portumna, Co. Galway, Ireland - The Lally Wild Geese
  3. ^ Wild Geese Heritage Museum and Library, Portumna, Co. Galway, Ireland - The Lally Wild Geese
  4. ^ The Wild Geese Today - Dying Together: From Bull Run to Baghdad

[edit] External Links

http://www.tcd.ie/CISS/mmspain.php

[edit] Bibliography

The Spanish Monarchy and Irish Mercenaries.- The Wild Geese in Spain 1618-68. (R.A. Stradling)
The Irish Brigades in the Service of France, J.C. O'Callaghan.
The Wild Geese, M. Hennessy
The March of O'Sullivan Beare, L.J. Emerson. The O' Neills in Spain, Spanish Knights of Irish Origin, Destruction by Peace, Micheline Kerney Walsh. The Irish Sword, Vol 4-11
The Wild Geese, Mark G. McLaughlin.
Wild Geese in Spanish Flanders,1582-1700, B. Jennings.
Spain under the Habsburgs, John Lynch
The Flight of the Earls, John McCavitt