OnThisDay 1924 – Óglaigh na hÉireann/Irish Defence Forces Formally Established

The Defence Forces (Temporary Provisions) Act, 1923, provided that the Irish Free State Executive Council to raise and maintain an armed force to be called Óglaigh na hÉireann. The Council also had to set a date for the formal establishment of the Defence Forces. The date fixed was 1 October 1924.

On 11 October a recruiting article appeared in the Connaught Telegraph.

“Óglaigh na hÉireann have made the Free State possible and maintained its authority in a period of peril which is all too fresh in our minds.’ It is no small boast to have been a member of forces which will hand such a heritage to posterity, The Defence Forces of Saorstát Éireann will be second to none when their organisation and training are completed, and now that we have complete responsibility for our forces, there is no reason why the undoubtedly excellent soldier-making material in our own country should not be available. Military service makes a traditional and irresistible appeal to all healthy young Irishmen.”