ABSTRACT
The Irish Constabulary disbanded in 1922 was a wholly different force from the Irish Constabulary that was reorganized in 1836. The uneasy relationship of the Constabulary with Irish society during the early part of the nineteenth century had probably less to do with any fundamental alienation, originating in the fact that the Constabulary represented British government, law and expectations, than with the organizational character of the force. In addition to wearing army-style, bottle-green uniforms, the Irish Constabulary was armed with short-barrelled carbines and sword bayonets as sidearms. Before the Famine, while the military appearance and training of the Constabulary certainly did little to endear it to the people of Ireland, neither did it excite much comment, adverse or otherwise. In a more law-abiding Ireland, questions were raised about the military character and firearms of the Constabulary. Moreover, the Royal Irish Constabulary's largely peaceful civil duties and its acceptance in rural Ireland had helped to integrate policemen into Irish society.
