Blue Hussars
Encyclopedia
The Blue Hussars, officially called the Mounted Escort, was the ceremonial army troop that escorted the President of Ireland
on state occasions, most famously to and from presidential inaugurations
between 1938, when the first president took office, and 1948 when they were disbanded. The name Blue Hussars is sometimes used to refer to their successors, the motorcycle unit (2 Cavalry Squadron) of the Cavalry Corps
that has provided presidential escorts since 1948.
for the 1932 Eucharistic Congress. They were used subsequently to provide an escort for the President of the Executive Council
(prime minister).
, consisting of a saffron léine
(a form of tunic) with six rows of black braid and black cuffs, a blue brat (a fringed medieval shawl/cloak), tight pantaloons and a black Balmoral
cap with saffron feather.
For reasons that remain a mystery the original uniforms designed were not adopted. Instead the unit wore a rich sapphire blue — officially alizarine sapphire — tunic and breeches, with yellow frogging and lace of the near-standard international hussar pattern and black sealskin busbies with orange-yellow plumes. Contemporary rumour suggested that these distinctive hussar
-style uniforms, which gave the unit its nickname, had been found in a cupboard in Dublin Castle
in 1932 and dated back to British
rule in Ireland. Rather than throw them out the uniforms were used to dress up the army unit escorting the legate. While the uniforms used may well have been copies of actual British garments found, files in the National Archives of Ireland
show that £2,165 was spent on purchasing the seventy uniforms used by the escort. The basic pattern was identical to that of the 8th (King's Royal Irish) Hussars
as worn until 1914 but the bright blue colour differed from the dark blue of British hussar regiments.
The bulk of the personnel comprising the Escort were drawn from the Artillery Corps, which in the 1930s was the only branch of the Irish Defence Forces employing horses in any numbers. The Escort was not permanently embodied but was brought together for public duties and rehearsals as required. In addition to ceremonial duties, the Escort performed at horseshows and gymkhanas.
, who travelled to the 1945 inauguration in the late Queen Alexandra's
horse-drawn landau
, the first (and only) time when a president went to his or her inauguration in a horse-drawn carriage rather than a car.
In 1947, however, following a carriage accident at the Dublin Horse Show at the Royal Dublin Society
the government of Éamon de Valera
decided to abandon the use of carriages for Irish presidents. The following year the First Inter-Party Government decided to disband the Mounted Escort also, even though between 1938 and 1945 the Escort has escorted presidents as they travelled by car. The Minister for Defence
argued that motorcycles would be "more impressive" than Irish horses.
Patrick McGilligan
, the Minister for Finance
who successfully pushed for their abolition, defended his action in Seanad Éireann
by saying
Within the Irish army, their disbanding was blamed on a lack of suitable horses, a claim critics ridiculed, given that Ireland was and is famed for its horses. This has the current effect that while Irish horses are used as the horses of preference in state and royal ceremonial associated with the British monarchy
, the presidency of France, and in most states that use horses for ceremonial occasions, Ireland imports motorbikes to fulfil that role in its own ceremonial.
Though the Blue Hussars were officially disbanded in 1948, 2 Cavalry Squadron, which took over their role has often been nicknamed the Blue Hussars. In honour of their predecessors, the unit in 1997 received blue motorcycles.
President of Ireland
The President of Ireland is the head of state of Ireland. The President is usually directly elected by the people for seven years, and can be elected for a maximum of two terms. The presidency is largely a ceremonial office, but the President does exercise certain limited powers with absolute...
on state occasions, most famously to and from presidential inaugurations
Presidential Inauguration (Ireland)
The Presidential Inauguration is the Irish state formal ceremony by which the President of Ireland takes office. While in hereditary monarchies coronations are symbolic ceremonies, the new monarch's reign having already begun upon the death or abdication of the previous monarch, the Irish...
between 1938, when the first president took office, and 1948 when they were disbanded. The name Blue Hussars is sometimes used to refer to their successors, the motorcycle unit (2 Cavalry Squadron) of the Cavalry Corps
Irish Army Cavalry Corps
The Cavalry Corps is the armoured formation of the Irish Army. In peacetime the Cavalry carries out various duties in aid to the Civil Power, such as:* Border operations supporting Gardaí....
that has provided presidential escorts since 1948.
Origins
In 1931 a decision was taken to provide a Mounted Escort for state and ceremonial functions. This escort first appeared in public in 1932 to form a guard of honour for the Papal Legate visiting IrelandIreland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
for the 1932 Eucharistic Congress. They were used subsequently to provide an escort for the President of the Executive Council
President of the Executive Council of the Irish Free State
The President of the Executive Council of the Irish Free State was the head of government or prime minister of the Irish Free State which existed from 1922 to 1937...
(prime minister).
Uniforms
A uniform was originally designed by a committee that included Irish artist Seán KeatingSeán Keating
Seán Keating was an Irish romantic-realist painter who painted some iconic images of the Irish War of Independence and of the early industrialization of Ireland...
, consisting of a saffron léine
Leine
The Leine is a river in Thuringia and Lower Saxony, Germany. It is a left tributary of the Aller river and 281 km in length.The river's source is located close to the town of Leinefelde in Thuringia...
(a form of tunic) with six rows of black braid and black cuffs, a blue brat (a fringed medieval shawl/cloak), tight pantaloons and a black Balmoral
Balmoral bonnet
The Balmoral is a traditional Scottish hat that can be worn as part of formal or informal Highland dress. Dating back to at least the 16th century, it takes the form of a knitted, soft wool cap with a flat crown...
cap with saffron feather.
For reasons that remain a mystery the original uniforms designed were not adopted. Instead the unit wore a rich sapphire blue — officially alizarine sapphire — tunic and breeches, with yellow frogging and lace of the near-standard international hussar pattern and black sealskin busbies with orange-yellow plumes. Contemporary rumour suggested that these distinctive hussar
Hussar
Hussar refers to a number of types of light cavalry which originated in Hungary in the 14th century, tracing its roots from Serbian medieval cavalry tradition, brought to Hungary in the course of the Serb migrations, which began in the late 14th century....
-style uniforms, which gave the unit its nickname, had been found in a cupboard in Dublin Castle
Dublin Castle
Dublin Castle off Dame Street, Dublin, Ireland, was until 1922 the fortified seat of British rule in Ireland, and is now a major Irish government complex. Most of it dates from the 18th century, though a castle has stood on the site since the days of King John, the first Lord of Ireland...
in 1932 and dated back to British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
rule in Ireland. Rather than throw them out the uniforms were used to dress up the army unit escorting the legate. While the uniforms used may well have been copies of actual British garments found, files in the National Archives of Ireland
National Archives of Ireland
The National Archives of Ireland is the official repository for the state records of the Republic of Ireland. Established by the National Archives Act 1986, it came into existence in 1988, taking over the functions of the State Paper Office and the Public Record Office of Ireland. The National...
show that £2,165 was spent on purchasing the seventy uniforms used by the escort. The basic pattern was identical to that of the 8th (King's Royal Irish) Hussars
8th King's Royal Irish Hussars
The 8th King's Royal Irish Hussars was a cavalry regiment in the British Army, first raised in 1693. It saw service for three centuries, before being amalgamated into The Queen's Royal Irish Hussars in 1958....
as worn until 1914 but the bright blue colour differed from the dark blue of British hussar regiments.
Soldiers in the escort
The Mounted Escort had a total of eighty horses. The Escort consisted of an advance guard of two, a single connecting file, two flanking riders, and two troops of thirty.The bulk of the personnel comprising the Escort were drawn from the Artillery Corps, which in the 1930s was the only branch of the Irish Defence Forces employing horses in any numbers. The Escort was not permanently embodied but was brought together for public duties and rehearsals as required. In addition to ceremonial duties, the Escort performed at horseshows and gymkhanas.
Presidential escort
The creation of the presidency of Ireland in 1937 led to a decision to transfer the Blue Hussars exclusively to presidential ceremonial. Most notably they escorted President Seán T. O'KellySean T. O'Kelly
Seán Thomas O'Kelly was the second President of Ireland . He was a member of Dáil Éireann from 1918 until his election as President. During this time he served as Minister for Local Government and Minister for Finance...
, who travelled to the 1945 inauguration in the late Queen Alexandra's
Alexandra of Denmark
Alexandra of Denmark was the wife of Edward VII of the United Kingdom...
horse-drawn landau
Landau (car)
Landau, when used in referencing an automobile, generally means a simulated convertible.It is originally a coachbuilding term for a type of carriage; see Landau . Many coachbuilding terms transferred over to automobile usage, since coachbuilders began making motor car bodies instead, and because...
, the first (and only) time when a president went to his or her inauguration in a horse-drawn carriage rather than a car.
In 1947, however, following a carriage accident at the Dublin Horse Show at the Royal Dublin Society
Royal Dublin Society
The Royal Dublin Society was founded on 25 June 1731 to "to promote and develop agriculture, arts, industry, and science in Ireland". The RDS is synonymous with its main premises in Ballsbridge in Dublin, Ireland...
the government of Éamon de Valera
Éamon de Valera
Éamon de Valera was one of the dominant political figures in twentieth century Ireland, serving as head of government of the Irish Free State and head of government and head of state of Ireland...
decided to abandon the use of carriages for Irish presidents. The following year the First Inter-Party Government decided to disband the Mounted Escort also, even though between 1938 and 1945 the Escort has escorted presidents as they travelled by car. The Minister for Defence
Minister for Defence (Ireland)
The Minister for Defence is the senior minister at the Department of Defence in the Government of Ireland. Under new arrangements this department is being merged with the Department of Justice over which Mr. Shatter will also preside....
argued that motorcycles would be "more impressive" than Irish horses.
Patrick McGilligan
Patrick McGilligan
Patrick McGilligan was an Irish lawyer and Cumann na nGaedheal/Fine Gael politician.McGilligan was born in Coleraine, County Londonderry, Ireland. He was educated at St...
, the Minister for Finance
Minister for Finance (Ireland)
The Minister for Finance is the title held by the Irish government minister responsible for all financial and monetary matters. The office-holder controls the Department of Finance and is considered one of the most important members of the Government of Ireland.The current Minister for Finance is...
who successfully pushed for their abolition, defended his action in Seanad Éireann
Seanad Éireann
Seanad Éireann is the upper house of the Oireachtas , which also comprises the President of Ireland and Dáil Éireann . It is commonly called the Seanad or Senate and its members Senators or Seanadóirí . Unlike Dáil Éireann, it is not directly elected but consists of a mixture of members chosen by...
by saying
- I feel no great shame in having helped to get rid of the cavalry escort. Senator Quirke and other Senators may like to know that it was not any antagonism to horses that caused that escort to be dispensed with. I was in Government when the escort was first established. I found to my amazement and horror that some of the uniforms that the first cavalry escort were dressed in were still in existence. It was a question of uniforms having to be remade. It was a question whether it was wise in these days to start to bring out these “Blue Hussars” again, as they were called, or whether we would not become more modern and go in for the motor-cyclist and his peculiar uniform. The change was made. I think it is a good change.
Within the Irish army, their disbanding was blamed on a lack of suitable horses, a claim critics ridiculed, given that Ireland was and is famed for its horses. This has the current effect that while Irish horses are used as the horses of preference in state and royal ceremonial associated with the British monarchy
British monarchy
The monarchy of the United Kingdom is the constitutional monarchy of the United Kingdom and its overseas territories. The present monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, has reigned since 6 February 1952. She and her immediate family undertake various official, ceremonial and representational duties...
, the presidency of France, and in most states that use horses for ceremonial occasions, Ireland imports motorbikes to fulfil that role in its own ceremonial.
Though the Blue Hussars were officially disbanded in 1948, 2 Cavalry Squadron, which took over their role has often been nicknamed the Blue Hussars. In honour of their predecessors, the unit in 1997 received blue motorcycles.
See also
- Ceremonial GuardCeremonial GuardThe Ceremonial Guard is an ad hoc military unit in the Canadian Forces with elements drawn principally from two Primary Reserve regiments of Foot Guards: The Governor General's Foot Guards from Ottawa and the Canadian Grenadier Guards from Montreal...
- CanadaCanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean... - Queen's GuardQueen's GuardThe Queen's Guard and Queen's Life Guard are the names given to contingents of infantry and cavalry soldiers charged with guarding the official royal residences in London...
- BritainUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages... - Royal Palace GuardRoyal Palace GuardThis is a unit of the Belgian Gendarmerie tasked with the protection of the King and members of the Royal Family. The Commander of the Royal Palace Guard is a Colonel. State Security also provides protective security services....
- BelgiumBelgiumBelgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...