In the society which I now joined--a joint mess of the Royal Irish and the Rangers--matters were different.
The personnel of the 6th Royal Irish was strongly characteristic of the old Army.

The commanding officer, Curzon, was of Irish descent, but of little Irish association; his second in command was an Irish Protestant gentleman of a pleasant ordinary type.

The senior company commander was an Englishman.

As an offset, Willie Redmond had one company, and another was commanded by an ex-guardsman, who had been a chief personage in the Derry Volunteers, and brought so many of them with him that General Parsons gave him a captaincy straight off.
In my own battalion, no Catholic had then the rank of captain.

The colonel and the adjutant belonged to well-known families in the North of Ireland, deeply involved in Covenanting politics.