Irish Roots of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
The North West Mounted Police, later known as the Royal Canadian Mounted Police was based on the model of the Royal Irish Constabulary. It was intended as a paramilitary force of mounted police, trained to keep peace on the plains, establish friendly relations with the Indian tribes and maintain peace as settlers arrived. It's first commissioner was Roscommon native George Arthur French.
Major James M. Walsh
James Morrow Walsh, first born of Irish settlers Louis and Margaret Walsh, who was one of the original officers of the NWMP, established Fort Walsh in 1875, a post in the Cypress Hills in what is now Saskatchewan.
When several thousand Sioux crossed the border into Canada after the Battle of Little Big Horn, Walsh developed a strong friendship with the famous Sioux leader Sitting Bull.
