Britain's Duke of York today attended the last service of remembrance by the Royal Irish Regiment before it disbands its Home Service battalions.
The Duke, colonel-in-chief of the Royal Irish, flew to Northern Ireland to join soldiers and civic dignitaries for the event which also saw the formal laying up of the colours of the 2nd Battalion of the RIR which will go out of existence next year.
The colours will remain in St Anne's Cathedral in Belfast as a memorial to the battalion. Those of the 3rd Battalion and 4th Battalion will be laid up in Armagh and Enniskillen later in the month.
The three Home Service battalions of the RIR became non-operational on September 1st this year and a phased discharge of their soldiers is being carried out. All part-timers will be gone by March next year and full-timers by the end of July.
Over 270 serving and former members of the RIR and the Ulster Defence Regiment which preceded it were killed during 36 years of the Troubles.
The battalions have been disbanded as a result of the ending of the IRA campaign and the advancing peace process.
PA