Irish troops at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690 would have looked like a mixed, fairly practical field army rather than a uniform modern force. Most Irish infantry wore ordinary civilian-style clothing with only some soldiers having matching coats or visible unit colors, and they were often described as less well equipped than William’s troops.

What they likely wore

  • Coats or jackets in dark or natural wool colors, with linen shirts and breeches.
  • Hats that varied by soldier, often broad-brimmed felt hats or simple caps rather than standardized military headgear.
  • Leather shoes or boots where available, with belts and cartridge pouches for muskets.
  • Some cavalry would have been better mounted and more visibly armed, but still not in the polished, uniform style seen in later armies.

How they were equipped

  • Many were Irish recruits who were described as badly drilled and badly armed.
  • Infantry generally carried muskets, pikes, or a mix of both, depending on what they could be issued or bring themselves.
  • The army also included French infantry and other allied forces, so the overall side was not visually uniform.

In plain terms

If you picture them, think of a muddy, hard-fighting army in loose, mismatched 17th-century clothes, not a neat red-coated line. They would have looked closer to working men pressed into war than to the highly standardized soldiers of later centuries.

Would you like a side-by-side look at how James II’s Irish troops differed from William III’s army?