Description
Thousands of Irish soldiers, defeated in battle in the 1690’s, fled Ireland, together with their families, for France, the exodus known as the ‘Flight of the Wild Geese’. The men then formed La Brigade Irlandaise of the French army, campaigning under King Louis XIV across continental Europe against English forces and their allies. This shirt designed by Cremona Heritage, has been crafted in the authentic colours and emblems of those valiant Irish exiles, represented by the flying geese motif.
Notably in 1702, the Irish Brigade famously defeated the Austrian army at the battle of Cremona in Northern Italy. Later, an officer of Napoleon’s La Légion Irlandaise renamed the entire townland including his house at Foxhall in the Swords area of County Dublin, to ‘Cremona’. The original 18th century house and gate lodge at Cremona survive intact to this day, evolving as a living history and research venue dedicated to overseas Irish militia heritage.
The Cremona commemorative shirt collection pays homage to the many Irish legions and militias formed across the globe, from the Tercio Irlandés of Spain of 1587 to the Irish Transvaal Brigade of South Africa 1899. Editions currently available: 1. La Légion Irlandaise; 2. La Brigade Irlandaise; 3. Irish Militia Heritage; 4. Montgomery Guard of Boston; 5. La Légion Irlandesa de Simon Bolivar; 6. La Armada Invencible; 7. Flight of the Wild Geese; 8. The Sarsfield Grenadier Guard of California; 9. La Légion de Patricios de Buenos Aires; 10. El Batallón de San Patricio, Mexico.
