Ireland in the VBCW

[The Gray Ghost]

I am thinking about making an Irish army.
Any thoughts about Them, I don't know very much about them during this period.

[ushistoryprof]

Are you looking at making up a force of Army Regulars or IRA style units in civilian and mix and match misc. military equipment?
Prof

[Gallowglass]

This thread might be useful:

http://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=10131.0

[commissarmoody]

I have been trying to find sutable mins for them myself.

[Gallowglass]

I have been trying to find sutable mins for them myself.

They don't exist.

[The Gray Ghost]

Mostly interested in regulars with some volunteers mixed in.

[Gallowglass]

Pictoral History of the Irish Defence Forces:

http://www.military.ie/dfhq/pubrel/publications/DFHistory.pdf

Some uniform information (which happens to be correct):

http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090610141518AAmClE0

Irish Defences since 1922 - Osprey:

http://books.google.com/books?id=7jmEdoVKIUwC&pg=PA10&lpg=PA10&dq=irish+defence+forces+order+of+battle+1930&source=bl&ots=ZYXFOYIo5K&sig=eZC9nbEx4qUfAIiBdp5I18L-lRw&hl=en&ei=ZhY9TNCOBcGB8gaC27CnBg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CB8Q6AEwAg#v=onepage&q&f=false

Irish Army Organisation 1939-45

http://www.patriotfiles.com/index.php?name=Sections&req=viewarticle&artid=6708&page=1

Link gives a good list of vehicles used.

[Arlequín]

and there was I ready to post "The guy who could help you most doesn't seem to be around much any more". Sometimes it's good to be wrong. 

[leadfool]

Yeah, Gallowglass, good to see you back!

[carlos marighela]

They don't exist.

Your best bet might be head swaps between Brit bodies and German heads from any Great War range. Ok the collars aren't right and IIRC the Irish tended to wear leather leggings rather than puttees but if you aren't too obsessive..... The German style Vickers helmet, '08 webbing and SMLE are probably the most defining aspects anyway.

Of course your other option would be to do an Eoin O'Duffy style fascist Irish army. Famously or rather infamously, his Blueshirts participated in the SCW on the side of Franco and the nationalists, although without any particular distinction. Dear old Brendan Behan famously quipped that they were the only contingent that returned with more men than they set out.

Personally I'd be more inclined to go for a clerical militia based on Craggy Island.

[Gallowglass]

Your best bet might be head swaps between Brit bodies and German heads from any Great War range. Ok the collars aren't right and IIRC the Irish tended to wear leather leggings rather than puttees but if you aren't too obsessive..... The German style Vickers helmet, '08 webbing and SMLE are probably the most defining aspects anyway.

Of course your other option would be to do an Eoin O'Duffy style fascist Irish army. Famously or rather infamously, his Blueshirts participated in the SCW on the side of Franco and the nationalists, although without any particular distinction. 

For Option 1, consider Gripping Beast/The Woodbine Design Company's "Great war in the East" range - British in serge dress, use say the Ottoman stahlhelm instead of British heads, bit of greenstuff over the puttees to turn them into leather leggings, and fiddle with the collars if you want to be really obsessive. However, as this is a "fantasy" Irish army from the 1930s, it hardly matters what the collars looked like.......

As for Duffy's Incompetents, Empress Miniatures' Spanish nationalist regulars as a sort of "Irish foreign legion" would be a good fit. Given the berets worn by the Blueshirts, I think the Carlist berets might also be a nice touch.

[commissarmoody]

I have honistly been thinking about trying out Option 1 fro awhile now. 

[The Gray Ghost]

What color were the Blueshirts berets?

[joroas]

Here's some sites:

http://www.monaghan.ie/websitev2/museum/oduffyuniform.html

Well I looked on a Google search, but saw so many neo-Nazi sites I gave up in despair.  I thought those hate-mongers were gone, but they seem to parade their filth quite openly............

[Gallowglass]

Wikepedia page on the Blueshirts

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blueshirts

Girrl's Blueshirt Uniform:

http://www.adams.ie/BidCat/detail.asp?SaleRef=7027&LotRef=440

Male uniform: