Sergeant Matty Gardiner, 12th Infantry Battalion, Irish Defence Forces/Óglaigh na hÉireann
Born in 1943, Matty is a retired Sergeant from the 12th Infantry Battalion, Irish Defence Forces/Óglaigh na hÉireann in Limerick. He comes from a large military family whose service dates back to their grandfather, George, who served and died with the Royal Munster Fusiliers in World War 1. His father, Peter, served in the fledgling Irish National Army and Defence Forces. At one time eleven members of his family were serving in the 12th Infantry Battalion at the same time. Matt too has a distinguished service at home and on United Nations service. Matty completed several Untied Nations tours of duty: 38th Infantry Battalion, ONUC (Opération des Nations Unies au Congo in the Congo) (1962-63), the 40th Infantry Battalion, UNFICYP (United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus) (1964), and with the 24th Infantry Group, UNFICYP (1973). Thank you to the Patrick Sarsfield Branch, Organisation of National Ex-Service Personnel Ireland for their support in this production.
For many veterans’ life after leaving the armed forces is challenging. Ensuring that all veterans receive the support and care they deserve is also a challenge. On the island of Ireland there are an estimated 150,000 and 20,000 British Armed Forces (Army, Royal Air Force and Royal Navy) veterans in Northern Ireland and the Rep. of Ireland respectively. As one of the commitments made in the New Decade New Approach political agreement, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, appointed Danny Kinahan as Northern Ireland’s first Veterans’ Commissioner.
The appointment of a Veterans Commissioner ensures that there is representation and a safe voice for veterans who often feel they have been forgotten, and have been largely underrepresented as a community for years. Danny and his team have been engaging with veterans’ charities on the island of Ireland with a clear message that there is help for veterans who need it. Over the past three months we have been working on a multimedia project with the Northern Ireland Veterans Commissioner’s Office (NIVCO). The purpose of this project is to highlight the NIVCO and the services they provide, while at the same time showcasing several of the veterans’ charities and the work they do on the island of Ireland. Some of these charities include: The Royal British Legion (Northern Ireland and Rep. of Ireland); The Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association (SSAFA); The Not Forgotten Association; Decorum NI; and the UDR Regimental Association. As part of a North/South engagement the NIVCO team also met with the Irish Defence Forces veterans support charity The Organisation of National Ex-Personnel. The uniform may be different but the challenges are the same, collaboration and supporting one another is the solution. Each of these charities are unique and offer a variety of supports from welfare to outreach, drop-in centres and remembrance. SSAFA for example is the oldest veterans’ organisation. Founded in 1885, it provides lifelong support to serving men and women and veterans from the British Armed Forces and their families or dependents.
A new charity for our team is Decorum NI. It was a real pleasure to meet this group at their garden plots outside Bangor. Decorum NI helps combat isolation through a variety of ways including: alternative therapies, counselling, training, educational courses, sign posting to educational progression, and welfare advice. We are looking forward to meeting them again in the near future.
NI Veterans’ Commissioner Danny Kinahan with members of Decorum NI at their garden plots outside Bangor.
As Covid restrictions ease, veterans support has recommenced in person. Coinciding with the anniversary of the Defence Forces on 1 October, The Organisation of National Ex-Service Personnel (ONE Ireland) invited veterans back to the much-loved coffee mornings in barracks and support centres throughout the country. The coffee mornings gives veterans a chance to meet, catch up and chat. They a very important part of support given by O.N.E. and the Defence Forces to veterans. We were delighted to attend the gathering in The Michael Collins Club, Cathal Brugha Barracks, where veterans honoured an old comrade.
Former 2nd Infantry Battalion Sergeant & Olympic Gold Medallist, Michael Carruth, was conferred as an Honorary Member of the Cathal Brugha Branch O.N.E. Also in attendance was Private Seán Mari from 7th Infantry Battalion & the Monkstown Boxing Club. Seán represented Óglaigh na hÉireann / Irish Defence Forces at the 58th CISM World Military Boxing Championship last week, reaching the quarter-finals and coming home with a Bronze Medal.
Presentations of donations for this year’s Fuchsia Appeal were made by the 2nd Infantry Battalion Association and veterans now working in ESB Networks.
Congratulations to all involved and please remember to support this year’s Fuchsia Appeal.
Yesterday the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Defence, Simon Coveney TD, appointed Lieutenant General Seán Clancy as the new Chief of Staff of the Irish Defence Forces. Lieutenant General Seán Clancy joined the Irish Defence Forces in 1984 as a cadet and commenced his flight training in 1986.
He has flown both fixed and rotary wing aircraft and has accumulated nearly 5,000 flight hours. He is a qualified type and instrument-rating examiner, a qualified flight simulator instructor and has most recently held type, instrument and NVG ratings on the AW139. He spent a considerable period of his career as a Search and Rescue pilot and was the commander of the crew who received the Marine Medal for Meritorious Service in 2002.Lieutenant General Clancy has been a driver of change and a champion for innovation within the Defence Forces. He played a central role in the development of the Ireland’s first Emergency Aeromedical Service established in 2012. He has been a strong advocate for Leadership and was the co-author of the Defence Forces Leadership Doctrine published in 2016. He subsequently led the team who developed the current vision and values-based strategy for the Defence Forces post the publication of the White Paper on Defence.
He has served in appointments including Squadron Commander, Wing Commander, Senior Staff Officer Operations, Senior Staff Officer Personnel, Chief of Air Staff Support in Air Corps Headquarters and Director of Strategic Planning Branch, Chief of Staff’s Branch, Defence Forces Headquarters. Prior to promotion he served as Deputy Chief of Staff (Support) as well as General Officer Commanding, Irish Air Corps and Director of Military Aviation. He has served for a year with the European Union Force in Bosnia as the military advisor to the Force Commander and spent two years as a non-permanent member of SHIRBRIG, the UN standby Brigade.
Today the Irish Defence Forces(Óglaigh na hÉireann / Irish Defence Forces) celebrates its 97th anniversary. On 1 October 1924, the Executive Council formally established Óglaigh na hÉireann – the Irish Defence Forces under the Defence Forces (Temporary Provisions) Act, 1923. The Defence Forces evolved from the National Army which had helped establish the democratic institutions of the new Free State: Saorstát na hÉireann.The past year has been a busy one for the Irish Defence Forces. The three services – Army, Air Corps and Naval Service – played a pinnacle role in the State’s fight against Covid-19. Throughout this time units continued to deploy personnel on security duties at home and on overseas service. Deployments this year included continued commitments to international peace and security in South Lebanon, Syria, and Mali to name but a few, along with undertaking a ECAT (Emergency Civil Assistance Team) operation in support of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to return Irish civilians from Afghanistan. The 75th anniversary of the ending of the Emergency and the 75th anniversary of the establishment of the Naval Service remined us of the commitment the men and women of the Defence Forces have played in defending and securing Ireland and its people.
