Annual 1916 Commemoration – 2 Cavalry Squadron Escorts President of Ireland | Season 6 – Episode 43
Wheels May 12, 2026
For the Annual 1916 Commemoration Ceremony on Wednesday 6th May 2026, Uachtarán na hÉireann (President of Ireland) Catherine Connolly was escorted from Áras an Uachtaráin in Phoenix Park, Dublin by twenty-nine Honda NT700V Deauville motorcycles of the Defence Forces Escort of Honour, drawn from 2 Cavalry Squadron. The escort accompanied the President to the wreath-laying ceremony at the Church of the Sacred Heart, Arbour Hill, the burial place of the executed leaders of the 1916 Rising.
The mounted Escort of Honour was first provided by the Defence Forces during the 31st Eucharistic Congress held in Dublin in June 1932. In 1949, the original horse-mounted unit was replaced by motorcycles, which have carried out presidential escort duties ever since.
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GARDA ESCORT
The day began with members of the Garda Roads Policing Unit (GRPU) motorcycle escort arriving at Áras an Uachtaráin, the official residence of Uachtarán na hÉireann (President of Ireland).
The Garda escort would be responsible for holding traffic at junctions along the route to Arbour Hill. Officers were riding BMW R1200RT motorcycles, a touring model produced by BMW Motorrad between 2005 and 2019 as the successor to the R1150RT. The motorcycle is powered by a 1,170 cc flat-twin engine with a six-speed gearbox and shaft drive.
ESCORT OF HONOUR
The tradition of the Escort of Honour dates to September 18 1931, when Defence Forces Regulation 62 authorised the establishment of a Mounted Escort. Personnel were drawn primarily from the Artillery Corps and for training placed under the command of the Officer Commanding the School of Equitation. The unit consisted of eighty horses, including an advance guard of two riders, a connecting file, two flank riders and two troops of thirty riders each.
The Mounted Escort first undertook official ceremonial duties during the 31st Eucharistic Congress in Dublin in June 1932, including escorting the Papal Legate.
Artist Seán Keating was invited to lead a committee to design a distinctly Irish uniform for the Mounted Escort, featuring a saffron léine tunic, blue brat cloak and black Balmoral bonnet. However, the Army rejected the proposal and instead adopted a sapphire blue version of the uniform worn by the British 8th King’s Royal Irish Hussars. Seventy uniforms were purchased at a cost of £2,165, and the unit soon became popularly known as “The Blue Hussars”.
Notably, the squadron escorted President Seán T. O’Kelly to the 1945 inauguration in the late Queen Alexandra’s horse-drawn landau (carriage), marking the first and only instance of an Irish president arriving in a horse-drawn carriage instead of a car.
In 1955, responsibility for the Escort of Honour passed from the Blue Hussars to the 4th Motor Squadron, based at Plunkett Barracks in the Curragh Camp, County Kildare. Later that year, due to its central Dublin location, the 2nd Motor Squadron, now 2 Cavalry Squadron, assumed the role.
The squadron carried out a number of Lieutenant’s Escorts during late 1955, while the first full Presidential (Captain’s) Escort took place on 1st May 1956 for President Seán T. O’Kelly under the command of Captain J. Foley.
Among its notable ceremonial duties, 2 Cavalry Squadron provided the Escort of Honour at the inauguration of Éamon de Valera in 1959. In June 1961, the unit was also on duty during the State visit of Prince Rainier and Princess Grace of Monaco.
In 1963 President John F. Kennedy was so impressed by the performance of the Escort of Honour that, at the conclusion of the visit, he personally shook hands with every member of the unit and presented each man with a tie-pin as a mark of appreciation.
The Escort of Honour has also carried out duties for visiting US Presidents Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton.
HONDA DEAUVILLE
On the short journey from Phoenix Park to Arbour Hill, the President’s Audi is escorted by a fleet of forty-eight Honda NT700V Deauville motorcycles, purchased at an approximate cost of €700,000.
The Honda Deauville entered service with the Escort of Honour in 2008 and was the second Deauville model to undertake the role. Produced between 2006 and 2015, the NT700V is powered by a 680cc liquid-cooled V-twin engine producing approximately 65 horsepower, coupled to a five-speed gearbox with shaft drive.
Designed as a touring and commuter motorcycle, the Deauville became well known for its reliability, fuel efficiency and rider comfort. Features such as its upright riding position, adjustable windscreen and integrated panniers also made it particularly suited to escort duties, where stability, low-speed manoeuvrability and dependable all-weather performance are essential.
ESCORT UNIFORMS
First unveiled during the 2010 St Patrick’s Day celebrations, the current Escort of Honour uniform reflects the long traditions of the unit and closely echoes the historic Blue Hussars uniform, although in different colours.
The enlisted riders’ uniform incorporates the black, red and green colours of the Cavalry Corps through the lanyard worn on the right shoulder. These colours are also reflected in the pennants carried on the motorcycles of enlisted personnel.
The officer leading the escort carries the national colours of the visiting dignitary, while the Escort Commander and Rear Troop Commander display the unit crest.
ARBOUR HILL CEREMONY
The 102nd State Commemoration at Arbour Hill was hosted by Minister for Defence Helen McEntee TD, the ceremony included a Requiem Mass and graveside ceremony where the President of Ireland laid a wreath in honour of those who died in 1916. Attendees include the Taoiseach Micheál Martin, members of Government, the Oireachtas, Judiciary, Council of State and relatives of those involved in the Rising.
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