Further help wanted

After success with identifying the uniform of a County Lieutenant, although as yet not the wearer, can someone please help to identify the uniform in this photo. date is around 1893.http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/dean.evans5/Photos#5254063361047715058
thanks
Dean Evans

Looks like a Royal Irish Constabulary Station Inspector.

- see the single pip on the shoulders (District Inspectors wore 2 and 3 for 1st and 2nd Class then so forth with the usual UK police rank insignia system).
- the spiked helmet
- the uniform

all lead me to conclude Royal Irish Constabulary.

thanks Chris. I am impressed. I have a name for this character so should now be able to find out who he was and how he relates to my research.
Dean

Forgive me Chris but I'm not sure its RIC.
The telling points for me are the standard Hussar style of chest braiding used by Rifle regiments but not by the RIC. Also the helmet spike, the RIC wore a stunted spike, with a small ball at the top to delineate themselves from the Army.
Below is a representation of an 'Officer's' uniform from the 1890s, taken from a photograph and description.

Yes, I had noticed that the spike was different, also the helmet badge and badge on the chest. Both of these have a cross on rather than a harp. But he does have a whistle attached to the strap across the chest.

I think that the photo is of an officer in The Rifle Brigade (Prince Consort's Own) sometime between 1878 and 1890. Both Rifle regiments in existance during this period lost their busbies in favour of rifle green cloth helmets in the former year and recovered an updated version of the busby in the latter. The badge is indistinct but closely resembles the Maltese cross surrounded by oak leaves and surmounted by a crown of the RB (the King's Royal Rifle Corps had only the Maltese cross and crown). Finally, the facing colour on the collar more closely resembles the black velvet of the RB than the scarlet cloth of the KRRC. The whistle attached to the shoulder belt certainly has constabulary overtones but officers of both Rifle regiments did in fact carry whistles on chains to signal orders - one of a number of distinctions that these rather elitist green/black regiments employed to underline the gap between themselves and the lowly redcoats of the line.

Having said all that he could belong to a volunteer or militia unit - but definitely a rifleman!