Our new Paris video reveals the significant influence The Wild Geese had on France.

There are many stories, all intricate parts of the tapestry of The Wild Geese Legend.

‘In every part of the world, in every major conflict, the Irish have demonstrated their loyalty to their adopted homeland. The successes continued in their descendants, who went on to achieve so much in France and around the world’

‘In france they often attained the highest ranks, integrating fully into french society. Today their names are emblazoned on the monuments and boulevards of Paris’

One Parisian boulevard is Place de Fontenoy, which is named after the famous battle, in which the Irish played a vital role.

The Battle of Fontenoy

In 1745 France was engaged in the War of the Austrian Succession against Great Britain, the Dutch Republic, Hanover and Austria. Near Tournai, French troops were struggling to hold their defensive lines against the Duke of Cumberland’s forces.

That was until their reserve troops arrived, which included the Irish Brigade. The infantry regiments of Dillion, Berwick, Bulkeley, Clare, Lally and Roth charged into battle, determined, like the original Wild Geese, to fight for freedom.

The soldiers in the Dillon regiment are said to have tore into battle shouting ‘Cuimhaigidh are Luimnech!’ – ‘Remember Limerick’.

The arrival of the Irish Brigade was a game changer, and Cumberland could no longer push past the French defences. The Irish regiments captured 15 cannons and the Burkeley regiment courageously captured the flag of the British Guards as Cumberland’s forces retreated.

To commemorate the contribution of the brave soldiers of the Irish Brigade, the Celtic Cross was erected on the battlefield in 1907. The cross remembers those who fought at the Battle of Fontnoy and the Treaty of Limerick.

The world still remembers The Wild Geese.