The Royal Irish Constabulary Auxiliary Force, 1881-3
A short history and complete alphabetical list of the “Magpies”
Jim Herlihy
To augment the Royal Irish Constabulary during the Land War, 1879–82, a new auxiliary police force was raised, entitled the Royal Irish Constabulary Auxiliary Force (RICAF). In December 1881 it began recruiting candidates from Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales. Its 440 members, after a short period of training in the Curragh Military Camp in Co. Kildare, were armed and deployed to remote areas of the country, occupying specially adapted steel-clad and concrete-covered timber huts, with the primary mission of affording security to threatened landlords. The RICAF was disbanded in August 1883, and during its short existence suffered no casualties. This book contains an alphabetical list of the 440 men who enlisted as sub-constables in the RICAF. Each entry includes the surname, forename, registered number, birth year, native county, previous occupation, height, religion, marital status, enlistment date, by whom they were recommended, constabulary division to which they were allocated, departure date and remarks. It also includes an in-depth analysis of the RICAF by religion; age; marital status; occupations; countries and counties of birth; and allocations by constabulary divisions. The book also contains a complete list of Protection Posts and RIC Hut Stations occupied by members of the RICAF during its existence, arranged by constabulary divisions and stations, and showing the distance in miles from each constabulary district headquarters. Finally, the RIC service records of the sixteen members who saw previous service in the RICAF are provided.
Jim Herlihy, a retired member of the Garda Siochana and a co-founder of the Siochana Historical Society, has worked on these sources for many years. His many publications include The Dublin Metropolitan Police: a short history and genealogical guide (Dublin, 2001); The Royal Irish Constabulary: a short history and genealogical guide, 1816–1922 (2nd ed., Dublin, 2016) and The Irish Revenue Police: a short history and genealogical guide to the ‘poteen hussars’ (Dublin, 2018).
