Shrewsbury welcomes the Royal Irish Regiment

Tuesday 12th April 2011, 2:39PM BST.

The Royal Irish regiment march from Shrewsbury Castle through the town

Thousands of people lined the streets of Shrewsbury town centre today to welcome home Shropshire-based soldiers returning from a seven-month tour of Afghanistan.

Close to 2,000 people cheered soldiers and officers from 1st Battalion The Royal Irish Regiment, based in Tern Hill, as they marched through the town.

A sea of Union flags fluttered along the pavements as onlookers clapped in anticipation for the marching parade which left the town castle and travelled up Castle Street at 10am.

Bagpipes led the march as the troops turned on to St Mary’s Street, before marching down Dogpole on to Wyle Cop and over the English Bridge to Abbey Foregate.

It was followed by a service at Shrewsbury Abbey at 11am and a civic reception at Shropshire Council’s Shirehall.

Town crier Martin Wood helped to rally the cheering crowds who lined the pavements, five people deep, at the top of Castle Street and St Mary’s Street.

He said attending the parade was one of the highlights of this year’s calendar of duties.

He said: “It’s wonderful to be welcoming the lads back home. The support shown by the public is superb and it’s very encouraging to see so many children here.”

Today’s parade followed a similar event held in Market Drayton yesterday where more than 1,000 people turned out to welcome the troops back as they marched through the town centre before a service at St Mary’s Church.

The regiment’s tour of Afghanistan saw the loss of three soldiers.

View more: Royal Irish Regiment news, Tern Hill news.

1
Anon

April 12, 2011 at 15:14

The true heroes of our country!!

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2
phil

April 12, 2011 at 16:30

There was no where near 2000 people more like 500… where did you get these figures from?
The lads did well but maybe they should be marching through an Irish town and not an english one.
I heard a member of the public services say that as they marched past.

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3
Jackie

April 13, 2011 at 08:43

I was lucky enough to help welcome the men of the Irish Regiment home. These are incredibly brave inspirational men and deserve a heroes welcome. Just because they’re from the Irish Reigment doesn’t mean they’re Irish! Plus I don’t see why this is relevant anyway. These men risk their lives and are incredibly brave. I was among hundreds of people who were very proud to welcome these men home.

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- Anna
  
  April 13, 2011 at 10:15
  
  Doesn’t matter where they are from, they live in Shropshire and have fought for ‘our’ country. How blessed we are to have people amongst us with such bravery.
  I was very proud to stand there and welcome our guys & girls home. It was a humbling experience as none of us can imagine what they have experienced during their tours…. they are brave, they are courgeous and they ARE HEROES…… We must never forget however, that some were missing from the parade… may God hold them in his arms, they too are heroes. Prays for those that fought and were not destined to return home to their families and prays for those who did come home and there brave families too. God Bless you all, we are so incredibly proud of each and everyone of you.
  
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4
marguerite

April 13, 2011 at 14:25

wecome home all the brave soldiers and many sympathy to the familys of those brave soldiers that didnt make it back! as for phils comment i will have you know that the irish regiment is irish, english, scottish and other nationalitys and after all they have been through they have every right to march and feel proud down the streets they are after all in the british army!

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5
jacqueline

April 13, 2011 at 17:52

Ignorance is a terrible thing Phil, awful kind of you to repeat the comment from member of public service. A simple well done would have sufficed. This regiment is one of the most highly decorated of the British army and lost 3 young men. They are an Irish regiment by name, but Britiish through and through. My brother is one of them, and I am extremely proud, however your comment is offensive and disrespectful to those to lost their lives and maimed. Many thanks to those people who turned out both in market Drayton and shrewsbury your support means a lot to ALL the regiment not just the 40% or so English soldiers that make up this brave battlegroup. Lift your heads high boy, Phil couldn’t look you in the eye!

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6
Theresa

April 13, 2011 at 21:20

They are brave they are heroes and they are ours……God bless them all xxx

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7
Waterboy

April 14, 2011 at 09:24

As a currently serving member of the armed forces, I find all this parading and big press promoting us as being heroes and wonderful to be a little bit pathetic and false.

It’s quite amazing how peoples perception of us changes depending on how we are portrayed in the press.

I don’t remember in the 80′s when I was doing back to back tours of Northern ireland that the streets were lined with wellwishers when the tours ended and we came back minus a few soldiers. I lost 2 people to a nail bomb dropped through my patrol vehicle on one tour. No parade through Wooten bassett for them though.

Now we get treated like royalty. I for one would rather just be better paid and left to do what I am paid for. We aren’t heroes, we joined the forces knowing what the job entailed and we get paid for doing it, nothing more.

How about parades for the police? They do a job trying to protect the british public and all they get is a verbal kicking by the loving british public!

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