Tribute to the U.D.R

The 8th County Tyrone Battalion of the Ulster Defence Regiment suffered as much if not more than the other regiments within the UDR throughout the troubles in Northern Ireland.  Some members of our band both present and those that past away were also members of the UDR whether it was full-time or part-time.  This page pays tribute to those members.  Our band have re-introduced the tune of Killaloe to its repertoire and intend to add a further tribute later in the year.  The lyrics of Killaloe are below:

History of Killaloe
Killaloe was written c.1887 by a 41-year-old Irish composer, Robert Martin, for the London Musical "Miss Esmeralda" and sung by a Mr E J Lohnen. The lyrics tell of a French teacher attempting to make himself understood to a difficult Killaloe class who, totally misunderstand his French, and as a consequence beat him up

The Killaloe song, with original melody in 2/4 time, was made well known in military circles by a cousin of Lt. Charles Martin, who served with the 88th Connaught Rangers (The Devil's Own) from 1888 until his death in 1893. He composed a new set of lyrics, in 6/8 time, celebrating his Regiment's fame, and although no mention is made of the tune in the Regimental history, there is an interesting explanation which may well account for the shout or yell in the military version of Killaloe. In the 1st Battalion (Connaught Rangers), formerly the 88th, a favourite march tune was "Brian Boru" and this was played generally when the Battalion was marching through a town, or when after a hot and heavy march, the Battalion was feeling the strain and the Commanding Officer wished to revive the spirits of the men. On such occasions, at a time generally given by the Sergeant-Major, all ranks would give a regular "Connaught Yell". During which the Band would make a pause, and then continue playing. The march became popular among the other Irish Regiments and various other sets of lyrics were devised, some none too complimentary in tone.

The first known recording of Killaloe was made by Richard Dimbleby when serving as a BBC war correspondent somewhere in North France in 1939/1940, shortly before Dunkirk, during an outside broadcast of advancing troops. The "Famous Irish Regiment" Dimbleby reports playing as they march past Is not actually named. but would have been either the Royal Irish Fusiliers or the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers. Again in 1944, the BBC recorded The 1st. Battalion, Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers Pipes & Drums playing Killaloe, by then adopted unofficially as the march of the famous British 38th (Irish) Infantry Brigade, during the approach to Cassino. Killaloe was adopted by The Royal Irish Rangers on its formation on 1st July 1968 and again later by the The Royal Irish Regiment (27th (Inniskilling) 83rd and 87th and Ulster Defence Regiment) on its amalgamation in 1992.


Original Lyrics
Well I happened to be born at the time they cut the corn,
Quite contagious to the town of Killaloo,
Where to tache us they'd a schame and a French Mossoo he came
To instruct us in the game of "parlez vous".

I've a father, that I swear, but he said I had a "pere"
And he struck me when I said it wasn't true,
And the Irish for "a jint" and the French for "half a pint",
Faith, we learnt it in the school at Killaloo.

"Mais oui", Mossoo would cry; "Well of course you can" says I.
Non non, "I know", says I with some surprise.
When a boy straight up from Clare heard his mother called a "mere"
He gave Mossoo his fist between the eyes.

Says Mossoo in much alarm, "Go send for Johnny Darm".
Says I "There's no such name about the place"
Then "comment" was his reply, "Come on yourself" says I
And I scattered all the features of his face.

Then nothing more was said, Mossoo went of to bed.
He mixed no more in Killaloo affairs;
While the papers on the place, said the foreign teacher's face
Had been closed for alterations and repairs.

Frinch may be very fine, it's no enemy of mine;
Our conduct to the teacher they did send.
I've told you what is passed, so this verse must be the last,
That's the reason I have left it to the end.

Connaught Ranger Lyrics
The Devil's Own had lyrics of their own, composed in c.1890 by Lieutenant Charles Martin

In our army we're the best
From the north, south east or west
The best of boys are following the drum.
We are mighty hard to bate,
I may say without concate,
Faith the enemy are welcome when they come.
Be they Russian, French or Dutch
Sure it doesn't matter much,
We're the boys to give 'em sugar in their tay
For we're the Connaught Rangers,
The lads to face all dangers,
Fallaballah, fallaballah, Clear the way!

Chorus:
You may talk about your guards boys
Your lancers and hussars boys
Your fusiliers and royal artillery (without the guns)
The girls we drive'em crazy, the foe we beat them easy
The rangers from old Connaught, yaarrr, the land across the sea!

Now allow me here to state,
It is counted quite a trate,
In old Ireland just for fight for friends's sake
To crack your neighbor's head,
Or maybe your own instead.
Faith 'tis just the fun and glory of a wake
So you see all Irish boys are accustomed to such noise
It's as natural as drinking whiskey neat.
For there's none among them all, from Kingston to Donegal,
Like the gallant Connaught Ranger on his beat.

Chorus

T'was Bonaparte who said as the Frenchmen on he led
Marshall Soult, be them the Rangers do you know?
Faith says Soult, there's no mistake, to our heels we'd better take
I think it's time for you and I to go.
When the colleens hear their step, it makes their hearts to leap
Aaargh, jewels will ye wist till Parrick's day?
For they are the Connaught Rangers, the boys that fear no dangers
And they're the lads that always take the sway.

Chorus

Now you haven't far to search, for the lads who best can march
The lads that never fear the longest day,
Faith you easily will know, their dashing step will show
Tis the Connaught boys who always lead the way.
If me words perhaps you doubt, come and join 'em on a route
I'm thinkin' you'll not find it quite a treat;
You'll see them in the van, you may catch them if you can
Faith you'll have to travel fast or you'll be late.

Birth of the Regiment
The birth of the Regiment was a result of the civil unrest of the late 1960s which had threatened to overwhelm the Royal Ulster Constabulary and which had led to the deployment of Regular Army units to assist the police. In 1969 the Hunt Report recommended the disbandment of the Ulster Special Constabulary and its replacement by a reserve element of the RUC and a locally-recruited part-time force, The Ulster Defence Regiment.

7 Battalions
Initially the Regiment had seven battalions: 1st (Co Antrim); 2nd (Co Armagh); 3rd (Co Down); 4th (Co Fermanagh); 5th (Co Londonderry); 6th (Co Tyrone) and 7th (City of Belfast). The UDR achieved the remarkable distinction of carrying out its first operational duties on the day on which it was formed, 1 April 1970.

1972
In 1972 four additional battalions were added to the Regiment's strength: these were 8th (Co Tyrone); 9th (Co Antrim); 10th (City of Belfast) and 11th (Craigavon) Battalions. By the end of 1972 the complement of The Ulster Defence Regiment had reached 9,200, its greatest strength. The regiment had been "called out" for periods of full-time service to meet operational requirements, including Operation Motorman in 1972.

Greenfinches
The following year, 1973, saw the introduction of female soldiers to the Regiment to carry out searching of females. From the beginning women were fully integrated, wearing the Ulster Defence Regiment's cap badge in which respect the Regiment was almost twenty years ahead of the rest of the Army. The women soldiers quickly became known as Greenfinches, a popular nickname which has stuck down through the years. More importantly, they played a vital part in the Regiment's operational role.

Operational Effeciency
From its earliest days, when patrols sometimes deployed in private cars and patrol commanders had to report in from telephone kiosks because of the inadequate range of the first radios, the Regiment rapidly increased its operational efficiency to the point where it was able to assume tactical responsibility for 85 per cent of Northern Ireland as the first line of support for the Royal Ulster Constabulary. As a result, the number of full-time soldiers also increased and by 1980 full-timers were in the majority.  

Expertise
The Regiment had its own training establishment at Ballykinler which became its Depot and provided further training for the Regiment's soldiers in a range of skills. All ranks also began attending Regular Army courses at the Schools of Infantry, Intelligence and Military Engineering. As soldiers of the Ulster Defence Regiment concentrated on the internal security role the Regiment built up an expertise in such duties that remains unrivalled throughout the Army. Links were also created with the Army's administrative divisions which provided key personnel, including commanding officers, for their affiliated UDR battalions. Short tours with UDR battalions were also offered to officers throughout the Army.

Reductions
Further improvements in operational efficiency heralded a reduction in the number of battalions; in 1984, there were amalgamations in Antrim and Belfast to create 1st/9th (Co Antrim) and 7th/10th (City of Belfast) Battalions. The Regiment retained nine battalions until 1991 when 2 UDR and 11 UDR amalgamated as 2nd/11th Battalion, The Ulster Defence Regiment, and 4 and 6 UDR became 4th/6th Battalion.

Presentation of Colours
In 1991 the Regiment came of age: twenty-one years after formation, Colours were presented to four battalions at Lisburn by Her Majesty The Queen. This was a singular honour since it is rare that the Sovereign personally presents Colours, except to the Household Division. The remaining battalions received their Colours before The Ulster Defence Regiment became part of The Royal Irish Regiment.

Freedoms
The City of Belfast and a number of boroughs throughout Northern Ireland paid their own tribute to the Regiment by granting Freedoms while the community relations work of 7th/10th (City of Belfast) Battalion was recognised by the award of the Wilkinson Sword of Peace for 1990.

A Heavy Price Paid for Peace
The price paid by The Ulster Defence Regiment was high: 197 soldiers were killed, the majority were off-duty, and a further 60 were killed after they had left the UDR. On the Regimental Roll of Honour the first name is that of Private Winston Donnell of 6 UDR, shot dead at a vehicle checkpoint near Clady, County Tyrone, on 9 August 1971. The Regiment had been called out following the introduction of internment that day.

Murdered
The men, and women, of the Regiment were not safe anywhere, nor at any time: more personnel were murdered while off duty, either at home or in the course of their civilian employment, than lost their lives in uniform. Even those who had left the Regiment did not always find safety; forty-seven former soldiers have been murdered after ceasing to be UDR personnel. Others, especially in the Fermanagh border area, were forced to move to safer areas and had to sell their homes and, sometimes, their land as a result of imminent terrorist threat.