An old engraving of the uniforms worn by members of The Royal Irish Constabulary in the late 1800s. It is from a Victorian history book of The Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC or Irish Constabulary) was the police force in Ireland from 1822 until 1922, when all of the island was part of the United Kingdom. It was a quasi-military police force and were routinely armed (including with carbines) and billeted in barracks. It policed Ireland during a period of unrest and Irish nationalist freedom fighting. The RIC was an all-male police force.
An old engraving of the uniforms worn by members of The Royal Irish Constabulary in the late 1800s. It is from a Victorian history book of The Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC or Irish Constabulary) was the police force in Ireland from 1822 until 1922, when all of the island was part of the United Kingdom. The cities of Derry and Belfast, originally with their own police forces, later had special divisions within the RIC. For most of its history, the ethnic and religious makeup of the RIC broadly matched that of the Irish population, although Anglo-Irish Protestants were overrepresented among its senior officers. The RIC was under the authority of the British administration in Ireland. It was a quasi-military police force. Unlike police elsewhere in the United Kingdom, RIC constables were routinely armed (including with carbines) and billeted in barracks. It policed Ireland during a period of agrarian unrest and Irish nationalist freedom fighting. During the Irish War of Independence, the RIC faced mass public boycotts and attacks by the Irish Republican Army (IRA). It was reinforced with recruits from Britain – the Black and Tans and Auxiliaries – who became notorious for police brutality and attacks on civilians. With the Anglo-Irish Treaty and partition of Ireland, the RIC was disbanded in 1922 and was replaced by the Garda Síochána in the Irish Free State and the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) in Northern Ireland. A dark green uniform with black buttons and insignia, resembling that of the rifle regiments of the British Army. They are armed with rifles, as well as small side-arms. However, the RIC also followed civic police forces in the rest of the UK in using non-military ranks such as ‘constable’ and ‘inspector’; and there was a gesture towards ‘policing by consent’ through attempts to match postings to the religious affiliation of the communities affected. The RIC was an all-male police force.
Size: 4252px × 4094px
Location: Ireland
Photo credit: © M&N / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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