The Kildare Horse: Ireland’s Forgotten Cavalry

The History of Ireland: Rebellion, Empire, and Independence — Fexingo History · Oct 8, 2026 · 7m · transcript

While the Easter Rising and the War of Independence dominate our narrative of Irish rebellion, there was another tradition that often gets overlooked: the mounted warrior. Before the age of trenches and guerrilla warfare in the 1920s, Ireland had a long, complex relationship with the horse, shaped by both native tradition and English conquest. This episode explores the rise and fall of the Kildare Horse, a unique regiment raised in the mid-18th century that sought to blend Irish martial heritage with British military efficiency. We look at the specific challenges these soldiers faced, from…