THE Irish Guards, an infantry regiment in the British Army, played a prominent role at yesterday’s royal wedding in London.

Prince William, an honorary colonel in the regiment since February, wore its uniform – including the famous red tunic – and four Irish guardsmen, recently returned from a tour of duty in Afghanistan, were among those on duty at Westminster Abbey.

The regiment's nickname (used affectionately) is The Micks; its mascot is an Irish wolfhound. Kipling, in a once-famous poem dedicated to the regiment (in which his son John served and died during the first World War), wrote: And the Irish move to the sound of the guns, Like salmon to the sea.The regiment, founded in 1900, still recruits from Ireland.

An Edwardian advertising poster (£50-£70/€56-€78), seeking "smart men" for the Irish Guards, is for sale at Cooper Barrington's next auction in Llangollen, Wales on May 14th. - MP