The Ivy Patch Gun

posted on January 15, 2019
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
ivypatch_lead.jpg
Top: One of four LMGs which accompanied the Ivy Patch Gun during its journey stateside.

As recounted in an article in the Winter 2017 issue of Reveille: Ireland’s Military Story magazine, the “Ivy Patch Gun”— a British Mark II 18-pdr field gun— was part of this shipment of artillery and machine guns in 1959. This particular cannon was marked on its breech with the insignia of the Irish Free State forces (a superimposed “FF,” surrounded by a sunburst) and it was one of the first six field guns “loaned” by the British to the fledgling Irish Free State in 1922. It may have been one of the two guns that opened the Irish Civil War, by firing at anti-Treaty “Irregulars” of the Irish Republican Army who had holed up in Dublin’s imposing Four Courts building.

Discovered under a mound of English ivy, on the grounds of a former dinner theater in the Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C., in the early 2000s, it was identified by interested museum curators who then arranged for its repatriation back to Ireland in 2016. The “Ivy Patch Gun” is currently being restored by the Irish Army’s Ordnance Maintenance Depot for display in the Irish National Museum’s “Soldiers and Chiefs” exhibition, at the former Collins Barracks in Dublin.

The author thanks Wesley Bourke, Al Houde, Glenn Hyatt, Les Jensen, Mark Keefe, Robert McDonough, Michael J. Parker, Frederick “Fritz” Richards, Michael Shyne, and Paul Smith, for their kind assistance in the preparation of this article.

Additional Reading
Irish Lewis Light Machine Guns In The United States
"Grim Reapers": The Machine Guns of World War One
A Lewis Gun For the Trenches
I Have This Old Gun: Lewis Machine Gun

Latest

SIG P211 01
SIG P211 01

New For 2025: SIG Sauer P211-GTO

SIG Sauer introduced its first hybrid-frame, 2011-style pistol at its 2025 NEXT product launch event, and the P211-GTO blends features from the M1911 with design elements from the P320.

Sellmark Breaks Ground On “Verdexium” Project

In an effort to reduce reliance on international supply chains and bolster domestic manufacturing, Sellmark Corp.—parent company of the Sightmark, Pulsar, Inforce, Kopfjäger, Firefield, BulletSafe and Dark 30 brands—has broken ground on a new manufacturing complex in Mansfield, Texas, that it calls a “transformative force for American-led growth and innovation.”

Gun Of The Week: Heritage Manufacturing 92

American Rifleman staff are on the range with one of the most iconic lever-actions ever created, except this one has a bit of a plot twist—it is a model made overseas and imported by Heritage Manufacturing.

The Armed Citizen® July 25, 2025

Read today's "The Armed Citizen" entry for real stories of law-abiding citizens, past and present, who used their firearms to save lives.

Victory In The Air: One Smith & Wesson Victory Revolver's Story

A primary source investigation into the service history of a Smith & Wesson Victory revolver used by the U.S. Navy in the Pacific Theater during World War II.

Firearm Industry Responds To Aid Texas Flood Victims

Only a few days after the tragedy struck, two of the firearm industry’s foremost companies were raising funds for the victims and organizations dedicated to providing support through devastating floods in Texas.

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.