Cap Badge 1881-1901

The Irish Harp symbol was used in many of the Irish regiments which makes identification difficult. Many of the regiments used the Maid of Erin Harp which is shown as a winged female figure forming two sides of the triangular instrument. The harp adopted by the Royal Irish Regiment in the latter part of the 19th century was the plain harp as used on the Royal Standard. The Connaught Rangers also used this type on their badge. However the Maid of Erin was used on the earlier badges of the regiment so it seems there is no special significance in the shape of the harp. This example has a Queen Victoria crown but after 1901 the badge was topped by a King's crown.