CE117 The Irish Guards Mascot 'Seamus' and Handler

The Irish Guards is one of the 5 Foot Guards regiments of the British Army and is part of the Guards Division.
The regiment was formed in April 1900 by order of Queen Victoria to commemorate all the Irishmen who fought in the Second Boer War on behalf of Queen and Country.
Since 1902, an Irish Wolfhound has been presented as a ‘mascot’ to the regiment by the Irish Wolfhound Club, who originally hoped the publicity would increase the popularity of the breed with the general public.
The first mascot was called ‘Brian Boru’, named after an ancient Irish King. Traditionally, the mascot is looked after and taken on parade by one of the Regiment’s own drummers as is shown in K&C’s 2-figure set.

The current regimental mascot’s name is ‘Seamus’ and he joined the Irish Guards in 2020.  In 2023 ‘Seamus’ and his Handler led the Irish Guards Massed Pipes & Drums to Buckingham Palace for King Charles Ⅲ’s Coronation Military Procession.