''Faugh a Ballagh'' ( ; also written ''Faugh an Beallach'') is a

battle cry A battle cry or war cry is a yell or chant taken up in battle, usually by members of the same combatant group. Battle cries are not necessarily articulate (e.g. "Eulaliaaaa!", "Alala"..), although they often aim to invoke patriotic or religious ...

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

origin, meaning "clear the way". The spelling is an 18th-century

anglicization Anglicisation is the process by which a place or person becomes influenced by English culture or British culture, or a process of cultural and/or linguistic change in which something non-English becomes English. It can also refer to the influenc ...

of the

Irish language Irish (an Caighdeán Oifigiúil, Standard Irish: ), also known as Gaelic, is a Goidelic languages, Goidelic language of the Insular Celtic branch of the Celtic language family, which is a part of the Indo-European languages, Indo-European lang ...

phrase ''Fág an Bealach'' , also written ''Fág a' Bealach''. Its first recorded use as a regimental motto was by the 87th (Prince of Wales's Irish) Regiment of Foot (who later became the Royal Irish Fusiliers) in 1798. It remains the motto of the Royal Irish Regiment today. It was adopted from the words of Sergeant Patrick Masterson at the

Battle of Barrosa The Battle of Barrosa (Chiclana, 5 March 1811, also known as the Battle of Chiclana or Battle of Cerro del Puerco) was part of an unsuccessful manoeuvre by an Anglo-Iberian force to break the French siege of Cádiz during the Peninsular War ...

as he tore into the French ranks to capture the first

French Imperial Eagle The French Imperial Eagle (''Aigle de drapeau'', lit. "flag eagle") refers to the figure of an eagle on a staff carried into battle as a standard by the ''Grande Armée'' of Napoleon during the Napoleonic Wars. Although they were presented with ...

to be taken in the

Peninsular War The Peninsular War (1807–1814) was the military conflict fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Spain, Portugal, and the United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French Empire during the Napoleonic Wars. In Spai ...

. It was popularized outside Ireland during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by state ...

by the

Army of the Potomac The Army of the Potomac was the principal Union Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. It was created in July 1861 shortly after the First Battle of Bull Run and was disbanded in June 1865 following the surrender of the Confede ...

's Irish Brigade – composed of the 69th New York Volunteer Infantry (NYVI) or " Fighting 69th", the

63rd 63rd may refer to: ;Metro stations *Ashland/63rd (CTA station), on the Green Line *East 63rd-Cottage Grove (CTA), on the Green Line *63rd (CTA Red Line), on the Red Line *63rd Street station (SEPTA Market–Frankford Line) on the Market-Frankford L ...

& 88th NYVI, and later the 116th Pennsylvania and 28th Massachusetts Infantry regiments. A variant transliteration of the motto, 'Faj an Bealac!' was inscribed on the regimental colors of the (Federal)

7th Missouri Volunteer Infantry The 7th Missouri Infantry Regiment, commonly known as the "Irish Seventh", was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. In 1864 a battalion of veteran volunteers of the "Irish Seventh was consolidated w ...

, the "Irish Seventh", which fought in the Civil War's Western Theater as part of

Grant Grant or Grants may refer to: Places *Grant County (disambiguation) Australia * Grant, Queensland, a locality in the Barcaldine Region, Queensland, Australia United Kingdom * Castle Grant United States *Grant, Alabama * Grant, Inyo County, ...

and

Sherman Sherman most commonly refers to: *Sherman (name), a surname and given name (and list of persons with the name) ** William Tecumseh Sherman (1820–1891), American Civil War General *M4 Sherman, a tank Sherman may also refer to: Places United St ...

Army of the Tennessee An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

. The motto was also adopted by the 55th Battalion of the

Australian 5th Division The 5th Division was an infantry division of the Australian Army which served during the First and Second World Wars. The division was formed in February 1916 as part of the expansion of the Australian Imperial Force infantry brigades. In addi ...

during the First World War. Since then it has appeared rather infrequently in spoken language but has enjoyed some popularity in print, appearing on mugs, T-shirts, etc. Historian and musician Derek Warfield released a book and companion CD, which he entitled "Clear the Way", dealing with the history of the 69th Regiment. Australian poet

Banjo Paterson Andrew Barton "Banjo" Paterson, (17 February 18645 February 1941) was an Australian bush poet, journalist and author. He wrote many ballads and poems about Australian life, focusing particularly on the rural and outback areas, including the d ...

uses it in the poem Father Riley's Horse, claiming that the name "is French for 'Clear the course'". This is part of a running gag on language in the poem; elsewhere it claims that another Irish word,

Banshee A banshee ( ; Modern Irish , from sga, ben síde , "woman of the fairy mound" or "fairy woman") is a female spirit in Irish folklore who heralds the death of a family member, usually by screaming, wailing, shrieking, or keening. Her name is ...

, is "Spanish for an elf". The phrase is referenced in the

Dropkick Murphys Dropkick Murphys are an American Celtic punk band formed in Quincy, Massachusetts in 1996. Singer and bassist Ken Casey has been the band's only constant member. Other current members include drummer Matt Kelly (1997– ), singer Al Barr (1 ...

' "The Legend of Finn MacCumhail" and "Heroes From Our Past" The Irish language form of the phrase ''Fág an Bealach'' was used as the title of a recent two-part documentary series on the Irish Brigade in the

broadcast on the Irish language television channel

TG4 TG4 ( ga, TG Ceathair, ) is an Irish free-to-air public service television network. The channel launched on 31 October 1996 and is available online and through its on demand service TG4 Player in Ireland and beyond. TG4 was formerly known ...

.IFTN article on the documentary series ''Fág an Bealach''
/ref> The phrase is used in Irish Road Bowling to clear the road before a shot. Members of

Donore Harriers Donore Harriers is an athletics club founded in 1893. It is located in Chapelizod, Dublin. Originally based in South Circular Road and then Islandbridge, the club moved to a modern clubhouse opposite the Chapelizod Gate to the Phoenix Park in 1 ...

contest annually for the

Faugh-a-Ballagh Cup Faugh-a-Ballagh (foaled 1841 in Ireland) was a Thoroughbred racehorse. A brother to Birdcatcher (horse), Birdcatcher, Faugh-a-Ballagh was sold to E. J. Erwin in 1842. He ran once as a two-year-old at the Doncaster Racecourse, Doncaster's Champag ...

which was presented by the 87th Royal Irish Fusiliers in 1907. This is a perpetual trophy for the men's club cross-country championship over 6 miles.

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 ...

Rugby Club Suttonians RFC adopted the phrase as its motto. The phrase is used by Irish

WWE World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and var ...

wrestler Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat spo ...

Sheamus Stephen Farrelly (born 28 January 1978) is an Irish professional wrestler and actor. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Sheamus. Prior to joining WWE, he wrestled on the European in ...

. The

British Columbia Regiment , colors = , colors_label = , march = "I'm Ninety-Five" , mascot = , equipment = , equipment_label = , battles ...

uses this phrase as their regimental motto. During the American Civil War in Company I,

8th Alabama Infantry Regiment The 8th Alabama Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Confederate Army during the American Civil War. Service The 8th Alabama Infantry Regiment was mustered in at Richmond, Virginia, on June 10, 1861. The regiment surr ...

,"The Emerald Guards". 104 out of the 109 men of the regiment were Irish born. The men wore dark green uniforms; their banner was a Confederate First National flag on one side with a full-length figure of George Washington in the center. The reverse was green, with a harp, shamrocks, and the slogans "Erin-go bragh" (Ireland forever) and "Faugh- a ballagh"- Clear the way.

References

{{Reflist

External links

The Wild Geese Irish Brigade

A Tradition is Born - the Origin of the motto 'Faugh a Ballagh' and the Royal Irish Green Hackle
1790s neologisms Irish words and phrases Military history of Ireland History of Northern Ireland Military mottos Battle cries Royal Irish Regiment (1992)

See also

References

External links