Battle Flags of the Fighting Irish

69th New York.

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I've seen this one in person in Dublin! Kennedy presented it to the Irish people during a visit there in 1963. It's on display in their parliament building.
 
Good reason for trip there.
It was funny, I was only in Dublin for a day, went to the Parliament and asked for a tour...was told I missed the last tour of the day. So I asked the guard if I could just see the Irish Brigade flag, he asked me what I knew of the Irish Brigade..45 minutes later of trading stories and showing pictures of various Irish Brigade monuments (Gettysburg, Antietam and Fredericksburg) I was given a private tour.
 
Not sure if anyone has mentioned them yet but Company I of the 8th Alabama Infantry Regiment was composed of mainly Irish immigrants that lived in the port city of Mobile, Alabama. The left flag is their later one which was said to be a "Stars and Bars" style flag that had an image of George Washington on it and the right is their first "Irish flag" from what I've read.
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The second one I have for you was one from Company B, "Montgomery Guards", 21st Alabama Infantry Regiment.

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These are modern reconstructions from accounts of the originals as neither of these are in the Alabama Department of Archives' collection of flags.
The company colors of the Emerald Guard, 8th Alabama, Company I are actually one flag. Kate Cummings describes it in her diary, speaking of their departure from Mobile. She describes it as the first national with a full likeness of George Washington on one side, and on the obverse an Irish harp, surrounded by shamrocks and banners which read "Erin Go Bragh" and "Faugh a Ballagh". What is unclear from the description is if the obverse was green, or if the designs were simply painted onto opposing sides of the first national. She described their uniforms as dark green
 
Appropriate thread bump for today.

The 69th Infantry BN (NYARNG) was mobilized for deployment to Iraq in the spring of 2004 and served in Baghdad in 2004/2005. Nineteen Soldiers were killed in Iraq, including eight members of the Louisiana National Guard's Company C , 2nd Battalion 156th Infantry which was assigned to the New York Battalion.
 
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Excellent thread! I love looking at the banners that were carried during the Civil War and the Irish flags are very distinctive as are the Irish people. Slainte!
 
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