please help!
 

greetings to all.
A few weeks ago I discovered this metal badge. Im almost blind from trying to make out the txt. I found it in an area connected with the 1798 rebellion in Sounthern Ireland. Is there anyone out there who could help me identify it. I believe it to be a cross belt plate contemporary of the time.

Thank you so much in advance.

Greetings and welcome to the forum.

The word at the bottom appears to be 'Militia', the name around the upper edge starts with R, and the device in the centre could be a tree. Is there a list of militia units that could be checked for names beginning with R?

Nice find.

It is indeed a Cross Belt plate to a Local Irish Militia of around the date you suggest.

I cant read the name but if you get the first two letters of it you should be able to find out who.

If it is 'R', here are some to choose from:-

Rosanalle's Volunteers
Rathdowney Volunteers
Roxborough Volunteers
Royal Tralee Volunteers
Roscommon Independent Forresters
Rathdown (County of Dublin) Light Dragoons
Roscrea Blues
Ross Union Rangers
Rockingham Volunteers
Ross Volunteer Guards
Rafoord Brigade (Light Cavalry)
Rathangan Union
Ralphsdale Light Dragoons

regards

Nice deduction Arthur.

If it is 'Militia', begins with 'R' and is Irish (and, of course, it doesn't have to be an Irish Militia unit) then 'Roscommon' might be a possibility. Some of their buttons used the wording 'Roscommon Regt' which might be the wording around the upper rim. They had a precedence number of '31' in 1793 to 1833 and '93' from then until 1881. The number might appear somewhere on the device.

Roger

Try a very gentle ‘brass rubbing’ technique with a pencil and a sheet of A4 paper, you might be surprised at the detail that is revealed.
Sean