Irish Guards

The Irish Guards (IG), part of the Guards Division, is one of the elite Foot Guards regiments of the British Army.

Along with the Royal Irish Regiment, it is one of the two Irish regiments remaining in the British Army. The Irish Guards recruit in Northern Ireland and the Irish neighbourhoods of major British cities. Restrictions in the Republic of Ireland's Defence Act make it illegal to induce, procure or persuade enlistment of any citizen of the Republic of Ireland into the military of another state, however people from that country do enlist in the regiment. Recently, the regiment has also seen several "non-traditional" recruits, notably Zimbabwean Christopher Muzvuru, who qualified as a piper before becoming one of the regiment's two fatal casualties in Iraq in 2003.

Historically, Irish Guards officers were often drawn from British public schools, particularly those with a Roman Catholic affiliation, such as Ampleforth College, Downside School and Stonyhurst College. This is less common in recent times. In November 1942 Jean, Grand Duke of Luxembourg joined the British Army as a volunteer in Irish Guards.

The Irish guards have fought in every major conflict since their creation and are well known for their fighting spirit and professionalism.

One way to distinguish between the five regiments of Foot Guards is the spacing of the buttons on their tunics. The Irish Guards have buttons arranged in groups of four as they were the fourth Foot Guards regiment to be founded. They also have a prominent St. Patrick's blue plume on the right side of their bearskins.