Latest / The History of Ireland: Rebellion, Empire, and Independence — Fexingo History / The Flight of the Wild Geese: Ireland's Lost Soldiers in Europe
Transcript
- Lucas: So we've talked a lot about the Jacobite wars in Ireland, the sieges, the battles, the Treaty of Limerick. But what happened to the thousands of Irish soldiers who refused to accept Williamite rule? They made a choice that shaped Irish identity for centuries — they went into exile. Luna: The Wild Geese. Lucas: Exactly. That term — Wild Geese — originally referred to the soldiers who left Ireland after the Treaty of Limerick in 1691. But it became a catch-all for all the Irish who served in foreign armies. Patrick Sarsfield himself led the first wave. He sailed from Limerick with about 12,000 men. Lucas: Think about that. 12,000 soldiers, plus their families, leaving everything behind. They were bound for France, where James II had his court in exile at saint germain en laye. Louis XIV welcomed them — he saw them as a way to keep pressure on England. Luna: And they formed the Irish Brigade. Lucas: Yes. Over time, the Irish Brigade became a permanent fixture in the French army. There were three main regiments — Dillon's, Clare's, and Roth's — each named after their colonels. They wore red coats, which was a bit ironic given that red was the English colour, but it was their own tradition. Lucas: These regiments fought in nearly every major European conflict for the next hundred years. The War of the Spanish Succession, the War of the Austrian Succession, the Seven Years' War. And they built a reputation for ferocity. Luna: I've heard about Cremona. Wasn't there a famous exploit there? Lucas: Cremona in 1702 — that's a great story. The French had taken the city, but the Austrians launched a surprise attack at dawn. They broke into the town, captured the French commander, and thought they'd won. But Dillon's Regiment, which was stationed nearby, heard the fighting. Lucas: They charged into the streets, held off the Austrians for hours, and saved the day. The story goes that one of their officers, a man named James Dillon, was killed leading the charge. The regiment's motto afterwards was 'Semper et ubique Fidelis' — 'Always and everywhere faithful.' Luna: That motto really captures the Wild Geese spirit. Lucas: It does. And it wasn't just the French service. Some Irish went to Spain and formed the Hibernia Regiment. Others served Austria, or even Russia. There's a famous story of an Irishman named Peter Lacy who became a field marshal in the Russian army and founded a whole Irish-Russian military dynasty. Lucas: But the heart of the story is still France, and the Irish Brigade's greatest moment came at Fontenoy in 1745. We actually did an episode on that battle, but it's worth revisiting in the Wild Geese context. Luna: Right, because Fontenoy was where they proved themselves beyond doubt. Lucas: Exactly. The British and Dutch were advancing on the French positions, and the French regulars were faltering. The Irish Brigade was held in reserve. When they were committed, they charged straight into the British lines, shouting their old war cries in Irish and English. Lucas: They broke the British advance and turned the battle. The French commander, Maurice de Saxe, gave them full credit. And it's said that the British soldiers were shocked — they hadn't expected to face Irishmen fighting for France. Luna: So they were fighting against the very army they might have served in. Lucas: Exactly. And that's the tragic irony. These were men who had been forced out of their own country because of their loyalty to a lost cause. Many of them never saw Ireland again. They died in Flanders, in Germany, in Italy — far from home. Lucas: And yet, they kept the dream alive. The Irish Brigade always hoped for a Stuart restoration. They fought for James II, then his son James Francis Edward Stuart — the Old Pretender — and then his grandson Charles Edward Stuart, Bonnie Prince Charlie. Every Jacobite rising in Scotland had Irish soldiers in its ranks. Luna: But after Culloden in 1746, that dream was over. Lucas: Pretty much. The Stuart cause collapsed, and the Irish Brigade gradually lost its political purpose. But it continued to exist as a military unit. The regiments were eventually disbanded during the French Revolution, in 1791, because they were seen as too loyal to the monarchy. Lucas: By that point, the Wild Geese had been serving France for exactly a century. Generations of Irish families had given their lives for a foreign king, always hoping it would help Ireland. It's a story of incredible loyalty and also of immense loss. Luna: And it left a mark on Irish culture too. The phrase 'Wild Geese' still evokes that sense of exile and longing. Lucas: Absolutely. In Irish music and poetry, the Wild Geese are a recurring theme. There's a famous song, 'The Flight of the Earls', that mourns the loss of the Gaelic aristocracy, but the Wild Geese represent a different kind of loss — the common soldier, the man who had to leave because there was no place for him at home. Lucas: And it's not just a historical footnote. The Wild Geese tradition shaped Irish nationalism. Later movements, like the Irish Republican Brotherhood, looked back to the Wild Geese as proof that Irishmen would fight for freedom, even if it meant dying far away. Luna: Speaking of supporting a cause — you know, we do this show without any ads. We keep it free and accessible because we believe history should be for everyone. If you want to help us keep going, there's a link at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. Lucas: Yeah, that's right. No ads, no sponsors — just listeners who care. It's a bit like the Wild Geese, in a way — a small band of people keeping a tradition alive. Anyway, back to the story. Lucas: So the legacy of the Wild Geese is complicated. On one hand, they were mercenaries. On the other, they were exiles who never gave up hope. Their military skill was renowned, and they brought Irish culture to the courts of Europe. Luna: And they paved the way for later Irish soldiers in foreign armies, like the Irish regiments in the British army during the Napoleonic Wars. Lucas: Exactly. The Wild Geese set a pattern. And even today, when you see Irish names in the French Foreign Legion or in the American military, there's a connection. It's a thread that runs through Irish history, from the Flight of the Earls to the present day. Lucas: So next time you hear the phrase 'Wild Geese', think of those red-coated Irishmen charging at Fontenoy, or holding the line at Cremona. They fought for a dream, and they kept it alive for a hundred years.