MYSTERY IRISH BUTTON 'FAUGH A BALLAGH'
 

An unknown Irish button that I have had for many, many years. It came with some military buttons but I am pretty certain that it is not military but given the very wide range of expertise on this Forum I am hoping that an Irish member or someone with a specialist knowledge of Ireland may know what it is.

I am thinking livery or club but have been unable to find any reference to it anywhere.

"Faugh A Ballagh" ("Clear the Way") was the motto of the old 87th Foot, after 1881 the Royal Irish Fusiliers, and I've held on to the button in the hope that it will turn out to be an Officer's Mess Waiters' button of theirs - I'm sure it isn't but what's life without hope!!

Also the motto was used by the US 28th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry of the Irish Brigade and I'm sure by many, many other organisations.

Any suggestions?

Roger

Roger,

In the light of this thread:

http://www.britishbadgeforum.com/for...ad.php?t=58468

could the regiment have had their own pack of hounds and this their hunt button ?

Peter

Sorry, I don't know for certain but my gut feeling is that it is not military. I tend to attribute it to a livery button - the torse beneath the shamrocks adds weight to this.

Perhaps even an Irish Pipe Band or Society.
Googling the motto may help too

GTB

Hello Peter

Many thanks for the link and suggestion. A Hunt button is a possibility, one I have not yet fully explored. Not that well up on Hunt buttons though, only got the one book which I suspect is a little out of date now.

Roger

Hello GTB

I tried Googling the motto some years ago (when the internet was still steam-powered) and only military references emerged.

I did search again much more recently and again it was almost all references (or oblique references) to military subjects but now including a reference to the 55th Battalion of the Australian 5th Division in WW1 which I forgot to mention. Not a likely candidate though!

I do think you are right, not military, and the torse would suggest as much, so livery, club, hotel, pipe band, take your pick!

Roger

Roger,

So have I ( only got one book showing Hunt buttons, an edition of Baileys ) and it is not in that and whilst many regiment's had their own pack of hounds, the RIF do sound like they were a sporty regiment but it is buttons like this one that keep the interest in the hobby high.

There must be a member here surely with a good idea of who might have wore it.

Peter

THe nearest I got with googling was the Regimental Drum Major Association. Same Strap and Motto but with different centre

GTB

Faugh A Ballagh" ("Clear the Way
 

This was the motto of the Gough family which is from Limerick, but the crest presented (3 shamrocks) does not fit with the family blazon of arms. You may be correct that it is a button of a regimental pipe band. Unusual for a hunt button but ???.. I found the information if Fairbairn's Crests which is a valuable resource.

LoD,

I wonder if like me, you wish there was some sort of index by subject ( e.g. bird,mailed fist, etc ) to Fairbairns, it would make a search much quicker than in effect going through the whole book from start to finish.

P.B.

same but different
 

Hi :)
I was looking last year for what this was and all i could find was viscount gough of cork, i think his motto had the dragon head :):):)
This is the pic
T

Hello all

Thanks for the comments so far.

Part of the problem is that the motto 'Faugh A Ballagh' seems to have been a popular one, used by a number of families and organisations.

I have searched through my usual books/resources on hunt and livery buttons to no avail. A pipe band, civilian or military is another possibility but the buttons for these do not seem to be well documented

One day I'm sure the answer will just appear!

Roger