Ireland's Military Story

Author: Wesley Bourke

  • Centenary Ceremony Held at Baldonnel Aerodrome

    Centenary Ceremony Held at Baldonnel Aerodrome

    Centenary Ceremony Held at Baldonnel Aerodrome

    Photos courtesy of Defence Froces Press Office

    Earlier today a centenary ceremony to mark the handover from the Royal Air Force (RAF) in 1922, was held at the home of the Irish Air Corps, Casement Aerodrome, Baldonnel, Dublin. The Defence Forces Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General Seán Clancy, the General Officer Commanding Air Corps, Brigadier General Rory O’Connor and over 1,000 serving and former members of the Air Corps attended the ceremony.

    The ceremony involved a representative body of Air Corps personnel symbolically marching through the original main gate at 12.00pm. A wreath was laid to commemorate all those who died in service throughout the century followed by the raising of the National Colours and a ceremonial flypast.

    Speaking at the event General Officer Commanding Air Corps, Brigadier General Rory O’Connor remembered those who came before “Irish forces marched in and took over the Camp on 3 May 1922 and since that day, Baldonnel has been the home of the Air Corps. The dedication of Air Corps personnel, the missions completed, and the lives saved, have come about through the people who have walked through these gates and gave their years’ of service, most of which can be counted in decades.”
    He Continued “Looking back to what Baldonnel was like 100yrs ago, I have no doubt that those early members of the Air Corps would be very proud of the organisation that the Air Corps has become, and of all that it has achieved over the course of its first 100 years”.

  • Commissioning of 97th Cadet Class and 11th Potential Officers Class

    Commissioning of 97th Cadet Class and 11th Potential Officers Class

    Commissioning of 97th Cadet Class and 11th Potential Officers Class

    Photos by John O’Byrne

    Earlier today the commissioning of the 97th Cadet Class and 11th Potential Officers Class took place in Collins Barracks, Dublin. The ceremony is a very important and proud day for the members of both classes and represents the successful completion of intensive military training.

    The 97th Cadet Class began their training on 5 October 2020, in the Military College, Defence Forces Training Centre. Over the course of the last 18 months they have completed numerous military, tactical, physical and academic challenges. The class is comprised of cadets from the Army, Air Corps, Ordnance Corps, Corps of Engineers and cadets from the Armed Forces of Malta.

    The 24 Non-Commissioned Officer students of the 11th Potential Officers Course (POC) commenced training on the 26 April 2021, in the Military College. These students followed in the footsteps of only just over 200 NCOs who have completed a Potential Officers Course, commissioning from the ranks, as Officers of Óglaigh na hÉireann In total, the students of the 11th POC have a combined service of 409 years, with individual service ranging from 9 to 24 years respectively, and a total of 79 missions overseas in the service of the State, in countries such as Kosovo, Bosnia, Chad, Mali, Afghanistan, Lebanon, Syria, and many more. Student individual specialisations include special forces operator, sniper, reconnaissance commander, armoured reconnaissance, logistician, administration, aircraft maintenance, human performance, electronic warfare specialists and many more skillsets from the broad spectrum of military operations.

    The commissioning ceremony consisted of the Oath of Commissioning being read out by a Commissioned Officer and repeated by all Officer-Cadets. Each Officer-Cadet then marched forward in line. The Officer-Cadet then had their rank markings uncovered by an Investing Officer of The Irish Defence Forces. The Officer-Cadet then marched forward and congratulated by the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Defence, Mr. Simon Coveney, T.D. on behalf of An tUachtarán, Michael D. Higgins. The newly-Commissioned Officer then marched over to the Sergeant Major of the Cadet School, Regimental Sergeant Major Stephen O’Neill, for his/her first salute.

    The Lieutenant General William Callaghan Sword is awarded to the best Potential Officer in tactical exercises and
    practical leadership. It was presented by Lt. Gen. William Callaghan (RIP),
    former Force Commander, United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon. It
    consists of a sword mounted on a mahogany backing, on which a brass
    plate has the following inscription:

    Awarded annually to the soldier who obtained 1st place in Tactical Training and Practical Leadership Ability.

    This year’s winners included Cadet Ryan Bradley and Captain Bryan Collins.

    A first for a Defence Forces was the commissioning of a husband and wife team: Lieutenant Valerie Cole and Captain Philip Cole were students together on the 11th Potential Officers Course.

    There to congratulate the newly commissioned cadets was the Defence Forces Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General Seán Clancy,

  • ONE Launches Veterans Leadership Initiative

    ONE Launches Veterans Leadership Initiative

    ONE Launches Veterans’ Leadership Initiative

    There are approximately 150,000 former members of the Irish Defence Forces, permanent and reserve. The majority still live in Ireland, an unknown number live abroad. Ex-service personnel go on to live very fulfilling lives and take on challenging new careers. A new initiative by the Organisation of National Ex-Service Personnel (ONE) sets out to explore and promote the leadership and resilience skills of former Defence Forces personnel in Irish society. On 6 April 2022, ONE will host its first ‘I Am A Veteran’ Seminar on Resilience and Leadership.

    There are a wide profile of Defence Forces veterans across ages, branches, time served, and backgrounds. As part of the “I Am A Veteran” Campaign, ONE are seeking to reconnect with many former comrades to attract them into the organisation and to bring about a new way of engaging with the veterans’ community. The Seminar series initially aims to attract veterans with a career or business interest and to establish a new veteran business network.; a network of this type would bring value to the community and give a new way of engaging with ONE.

    By establishing the business network, ONE seeks to identify veterans who could also serve as career mentors to some younger veterans (18-35) who have left service without much in the way of career support and guidance. The hope and aim is that if a veteran requests support, ONE will be in a position to connect them with a panel of mentors to source advice and guidance. 

    Topic 1 – Walking the Walk – Reflections on Leadership

    Moderated by Declan Power, Adjunct Lecturer at the NATO School and author of the film adapted book, Siege of Jadotville, Cathal Berry TD, a former officer/operator in the Army Ranger Wing, Eoin Rochford, Private Wealth Advisor at Goldman Sachs and Anita Hogan Organisational Psychologist, and Series Psychologist on RTÉ’s Ultimate Hellweekgive an account of what lessons in leadership they have taken from their Defence Forces experience and how it shapes their views of leadership as senior leaders within politics and business today.

    Topic 2 – Carrying on Regardless – Instilling resilience in professional life

    Led by moderator Wesley Bourke, a former journalist with An Cosantóir Magazine now the Creative Director and co-founder of The Irish Military Heritage Foundation CLG, Ray Goggins, Director at Coreskill Training & Chief Instructor of RTE’s Hell Week, Sinead Wearen, now a Behavioural Therapist with the Health Service Executive and James McCann, MD of ClearStory International, discuss the importance of resilience in their everyday professional lives and how their experiences in the Defence Forces instilled the ‘right stuff’ to carry on regardless of when it mattered.

    Topic 3 – The Art of Team Building – Insights of how to build a winning team 

    Moderated by Phillip Quinlan, Senior Manager, Technology at Ernst & Young, Jim Gavin, Director of People and operations, Irish Aviation Authority, Aviation Regulator, and former Dublin GAA Manager, Amy O’Connor, MD of AOC Consulting and John O’Brien, Operations Director with Manguard Plus outline their experiences in team building and what aspects are needed, from the individual to mindset, to building a winning and maintain a winning team.

    Topic 4 – Does the Defence Forces create entrepreneurs? 

    Moderated by Deirdre Carbery, Board Member of ONE and Rapid Response Manager at Google, Gabriel D’Arcy, Chairperson, EnergyCloud, Morgan Mangan, Partner at AMROP and Shane Henry, CEO of Reconnaissance Group discuss business building and the key lessons they took following their experience in the Defence Forces on their own entrepreneurial journey. 

    Please register your interest to attend here:

    https://clearstoryinternational.formstack.com/forms/i_am_a_veteran_seminar_sign_up

  • Corporal Tony Maher, Maynooth Platoon, C Company, 7th Infantry Battalion FCÁ

    Corporal Tony Maher, Maynooth Platoon, C Company, 7th Infantry Battalion FCÁ

    Corporal Tony Maher, Maynooth Platoon, C Company, 7th Infantry Battalion FCÁ

    Cover image: Members of Maynooth Platoon, C Company, 7th Infantry Battalion FCÁ, at Gormanstown Military Camp.

    Kildare has a long military history and to this day people from the county continue to serve or have served all over the world. Due to the Curragh Camp and Defence Forces Headquarters, Kildare has a large number of serving and former members of the Defence Forces/Óglaigh na hÉireann. Prior to the pandemic we began an oral history project aimed at capturing the testimonies of military veterans and ex-service personnel from County Kildare. Each of these recordings is a window into Kildare’s past. Memories of a Curagh Camp tell of a military base that resembled a small town with its own cinema, while others recollect the artillery barracks in Kildare town and the Apprentice School in Naas now closed over two decades. Thousands from the county have served around the world on United Nations peacekeeping missions; from the early deployments to the Congo to as recently as Mali. Many of those who serve go on to join the charities The Organisation of National Ex-Service Personnel and The Irish United Nations Veterans Association; both of whom have reached out across their membership and network to find those willing to tell their story.

    Often overlooked are the memories of the part-time volunteers who served locally as members of the Local Defence Force during the Emergency, or in later Cold War decades in An Fórsa Cosanta Áitiúil (FCÁ), the Red Cross or Civil Defence. During these uncertain periods every town, village and area in Ireland had such units with locally trained members. Their story is as important as their full-time counterparts. It is part of our local and national heritage. Many of these stories have been lost over time, but there are still many out there who remember the old units, the buildings they trained in and the exercises they took part in. In this recording Tony Maher reflects on his time as a reserve Corporal with Maynooth Platoon, C Company, 7th Infantry Battalion FCÁ, Irish Defence Forces/Óglaigh na hÉireann.

    Corporal Tony Maher, Maynooth Platoon, C Company, 7th Infantry Battalion FCÁ

    Today, Tony lives in Celbridge, County Kildare. He is well known for his community work in the area and anyone involved in the sprot of canoeing would know him very well, during the 1960s Tony was a member of Maynooth Platoon, C Company, 7th Infantry Battalion FCÁ. During the Emergency period (1939 – 1946) and the Cold War (1947 – 1991) Ireland remained neutral, however, the threat was still real. During these two periods the reserve elements of the Irish Defence Forces were greatly expanded. Nearly every village in the country had a platoon size or more of reservists stationed there. North Kildare was no different. During the Emergency the North Dublin Battalion of the Local Defence Forces had a Company in North Kildare, with a platoon in Celbridge, Maynooth, and Kilcock. Following the Emergency and the establishment of Fórsa Cosanta Áitiúil (FCÁ), this transitioned to the North Dublin Battalion FCÁ and in 1959, C Company 7th Infantry Battalion FCÁ.

    At the time Tony lived in Lexlip and recollects some amazing stories of Lexlip and the surrounding areas in the 1950s and 1960s. Tony grew up not far from where Sergeant Hugh Gaynor lived and had very fond memories of him. Sadly, Sergeant Gaynor was one of the nine Irish peacekeepers killed in the Niamba ambush in the Belgium Congo on 8 November 1960. It was Sergeant Gaynor and the service of Irish peacekeepers that inspired Tony to enlist. The reservists met several evenings during the week and at the weekends. The headquarters for the C Company platoons were as follows: the Methodist Church (now Cunninghams Funeral Directors), Celbridge; the town hall in Maynooth; and the old church off the centre in Kilcock. Life in the reserve infantry back then was defined by marching and the .303″ Lee-Enfield rifle, which Tony remembers like it was yesterday. He proudly still has his rifle competition trophies. Drill, local exercises, training in Gormanstown and the Glen of Imaal, St. Patrick’s Day Parades, and 1916 commemorations were the annual routine.

    Tony Maher in German uniform while filming the Blue Max.

    Thankfully Tony was an avid photographer and he has kept a remarkable collection of the reservists in North Kildare. It wasn’t all drill and more drill. During this time the FCÁ got called upon to provide extras for the movie the Blue Max; directed by John Guillermin and starring George Peppard, James Mason, Ursula Andress, and Jeremy Kemp. During 1965 Tony found himself in a German World War I uniform and charging across no-man’s land in the Wicklow mountains. Tony managed to smuggle his camera on set.

    The history of many of these reserve units has been lost. We are trying to build up the history of the reserve in Kildare and would like to talk to former members. Please get in contact if you would like your story recorded.

    This project is supported by Kildare County Council and Creative Ireland.

  • 3rd Infantry Battalion Commemorates Handover

    3rd Infantry Battalion Commemorates Handover

    3rd Infantry Battalion Commemorates Centenary Handover of Kilkenny Barracks

    Photos by John O’Byrne

     100 years ago on 7 February 1922, an enthusiastic crowd watched Commandant G. O’Dwyer lead a detachment of Irish Republican Army, accompanied by a band, from St. James’s Park to the military barracks in Kilkenny. The remaining Royal Artillery unit had left the barracks quietly the previous morning. The barracks is today home to the 3rd Infantry Battalion, Irish Defence Forces, and is named after James Stephens. On Sunday a company of 3rd Infantry Battalion, accompanied by the Band of No. 1 Brigade, marched from Kilkenny Castle to James Stephens Barracks in the footsteps of those 100 years ago.  

    As part of the centenary, Officer Commanding 3rd Infantry Battalion, Lieutenant Colonel Declan Crummey invited members of the public to an open day in the barracks yesterday, which included live music from St. Patrick’s Brass Band (whose members played for the handover ceremony a century ago), a weapons and vehicles display, and military heritage stalls which included the Lord Edward’s Own Living history group. The Lord Mayor of Kilkenny, Cllr Andrew McGuinness and Cathaoirleach Cllr Fidelis Doherty were also in attendance in honour of Mayor Peter De Loughry, who delivered the oration a century ago.

    The Irish Independent on 7 February 1922, reported that: ‘Three special trains from Kilkenny brought the 11th and 146th Batteries of R.F.A. [Royal Field Artillery], which left the North Wall for Catterick and numbered 216 officers and men. They took 6 18-pounder guns and 0 4.5 howitzers with them.

    During the same week in 1922, Royal Irish Constabulary continued their withdrawal around the county along with British military units. These included: The Cheshire Regiment vacated its Headquarters at Wicklow Jail, the Dublin Fusiliers from Naas, the 1s Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers from Carlow, the 2nd Battalion King’s Royal Rifle Corps vacated Clones Workhouse, while in Waterford the 1st Devon Regiment, stationed at Waterford military barracks, boarded the SS Great Southern for Devonport. The 2nd Battalion Cameron Highlanders, stationed at Belmont Huts, Cobh, Co. Cork, left for Aldershot. Their quarters were temporarily occupied by thy North Stafford Regiment from Nenagh, Co. Tipperary, while Royal Air Force detachments also left Baldonnel.

  • Defence Forces Mark Centenary of the Handover of Beggar’s Bush Barracks

    Defence Forces Mark Centenary of the Handover of Beggar’s Bush Barracks

    Defence Forces Mark Centenary of the Handover of Beggar’s Bush Barracks

    Photos by John O’Byrne

     Yesterday a ceremonial event was held by the Defence Forces to mark the centenary of the handover of Beggar’s Bush Barracks from the British authorities to the Irish Provisional Government on 31 January and 1 February 1922. In the footsteps of the Provisional Government troops, members of the 7th Infantry Battalion marched through the gates of Beggar’s Bush at 15:00 from Haddington Rd. and paraded on the barrack square. General Officer Commanding 2nd Brigade, Brigadier General Tony Cudmore presided over the ceremony. 

    Following the handover in 1922, the barracks became the first headquarters of the new army. It was vacated by the military in 1929. Today the barracks is home to the Irish Labour History Society Museum which is based in the former central garrison headquarters and the National Print Museum, which is based in the former Garrison Chapel.

    At the end of the ceremony the 7th Infantry Battalion recreated the famous image of the Fianna Pipe Band and Dublin Guard.

    Photos by John O’Byrne

    Album of yesterday’s ceromony showing members of 7th Infantry Battalion marching into Beggar’s Bush Barracks. In attendance are also relatives of the Dublin Guard.
  • Provisional Government Take Possession of Barracks

    Provisional Government Take Possession of Barracks

    Provisional Government Take Possession of Barracks

    Updated 2 February 2022

    In January 1922, military and police barracks began to be handed over to the newly established Irish Provisional Government. On Thursday the 26th, 150 officers and men vacated Clogheen Barracks, Co. Tipperary; on Saturday 28th, Mallow Military Barracks in Co. Cork, was handed over to Commandant General Liam Lynch; on Sunday the 29th, in Cahir, Co. Tipperary the 2nd Brigade Royal Filed Artillery vacated and handed over the barracks; while on Wednesday 1 February, in Sligo, the 1st Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment handed over their barracks at the courthouse. In all cases local units of the Irish Republican Army (I.R.A.) took possession. Also on the 31 January, the headquarters of the Auxiliary Division, Royal Irish Constabulary (R,I.C.), at Beggar’s Bush Barracks, Haddington Road, Dublin, was formally handed over to the Provisional Government: Commandant-General M’Mahon Quartermaster IRA, and Commandant J. Dalton Chief Liaison Officer, took over the barracks from Mr. A. W. Cope, Assistant Under-Secretary, Dublin Castle and General Wood, Commander of the Auxiliary RIC.

    • I.R.A. at Cahir Barracks, Co. Tipperary following the handover on Sunday 29th. Freeman’s Journal, 3 February 1922.
    • I.R,A. at Mallow Barracks following the handover.. Irish Independent, 1 February 1922.

    To cheering crowds the following day a newly uniformed and armed contingent of the Dublin Guard marched through Dublin City to take possession of the barracks. The detachment of Provisional Government troops had been in training and equipping in the Celbridge Workhouse (today Colourtrend) , Co. Kildare, for several weeks. Travelling by char-à-banc, they assembled at the Gough Memorial at the Phoenix Park under the command of Captain Paddy Daly. The Freeman’s Journal commented on the detachments turnout and the men themselves: ‘All carried short Lee-Enfield rifles of the most recent make. They were stalwart men, none under six foot, broad-shouldered and athletic, veterans in the War of Freedom.’ Their new grey-green uniform was produced by The Irish Co-operative Clothing Manufacturing Society.

    Led by the Fianna Pipe Band in their saffron kilts, the contingent paraded from the Phoenix Park at 2:30pm, down the quays, across Gratton Bridge and down Dame Street. Along the way the were cheered by vigorous crowds. At City Hall (the Provisional Government offices), delegates were there to review them including President of the Provisional Government Arthur Griffith and Michael Collins. As they got closer to City Hall the crowds could hear the familiar tune ‘the Green Flag’. On approaching the reviewing stand the City Hall Guard saluted and were ordered to ‘Present – Arms!’, returning the salute Captain Daly ordered ‘Eyes – Right!’

    The contingent then paraded past College Green, Trinity College, Merrion Square, and Mount Street. All along the way people cheer the small band on with shouts of ‘Hurrah!’ and ‘God Save Ireland!’ tricolour flags adorned the crowds and hung from buildings. As they approached Beggar’s Bush Barracks, around 3:30pm, the Dublin Metropolitan Police on duty opened the gates. On entry the gates were closed to the public.

    A clip from the British Pathé News Archive showing the handover of Beggar’s Bush Barracks to the Provisional Government.

    Entering the barracks, the Provisional Government troops were met by a select gathering of priests and officials. Waiting to handover the barracks were Mr James McMabon, Under-Secretary of State and Mr A. W. Cope, Assistant Under-Secretary. Provisional Government delegates included Mr Richard Mulcahy (in a Comdt’s uniform), Minister for Defence, accompanied by his wife; General Eoin O’Duffy, Chief of Staff, and G O’Sullivan, Adjacent General.

    Sunday Independent, 5 February 1922.

    Lined up on the square the contingent were inspected by O’Daffy and Mulcahy, who presented a large tricolour to Captain Daly. Following the inspection Mr Mulcahy delivered a short address in which he praised Daly’s men for being the first of a new army and thanked them individually, he said that this was an ‘event of which they could not at present estimate the importance.’

    The Dublin Guard and Fianna Pipe Band at Beggar’s Bush Barracks. (Image courtesy of Military Archives)

    The papers also noted that on the same day the Provisional Government received from Gormanstown Camp, twenty-one former RIC motor vehicles, comprising: three Leyland lorries and eighteen Crossley and Hudson touring cars; the latter including six tenders with 6 seats arranged back-to-back.

    Scenes from the takeover of Beggar’s Bush Barracks and possession of former R.I.C. vehicles. Irish Independent, 2 February 1922.
  • Cathal Berry TD, Commandant Rtd, Irish Army 1995–2019

    Cathal Berry TD, Commandant Rtd, Irish Army 1995–2019

    Cathal Berry TD, Commandant Rtd, Irish Army 1995–2019

    Taking part in our Kildare’s Veterans’ and Ex-Service Personnel oral history project is Óglaigh na hÉireann / Irish Defence Forces veteran Dr Cathal Berry T.D. in Newbridge, Co. Kildare. Cathal is an Independent TD for the constituency of Kildare South. Cathal is a father, husband, doctor, veteran and is a resident of Portarlington, Co. Laois. He is married to Orla and is the proud father of their young children Tom and Katie.

    Prior to becoming a TD, Cathal spent 23 years in the Irish Defence Forces. He entered military service with the Cadet School, Military College, Curragh Camp in 1995. After a tough 21 months training he was commissioned into the Infantry Corps. During his time in the Defence Forces, he spent six years in the Army Ranger Wing (ARW) and served overseas in the Balkans, Africa and the Middle East. In 2008, Cathal led an ARW unit in Chad. He later took a self-funded career break to qualify as a medical doctor in Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland He subsequently worked in the HSE Ireland hospital emergency departments all over the country and then returned to the Defence Forces where he was appointed head of the Military Medical School in the Curragh, Co. Kildare. He retired from service at the rank of Commandant.

    This project is supported by Kildare County Council Heritage Office and Creative Ireland.

  • Centenary of Handover of Power to Provisional Government

    Centenary of Handover of Power to Provisional Government

    Photos by John O’Byrne

    Updated 20 January 2022

    On 16 January 1922 at 13:45, the last Lord Lieutenant, or Viceroy, of Ireland – Edmund FitzAlan-Howard – formally handed over power and Dublin Castle itself, to the new Provisional Government. Today marks the 100th anniversary of this historic moment – one of the most significant in modern Irish history. It is an honour to attend the State commemoration today in the Upper Castle Yard of Dublin Castle to mark the centenary of the hand over. In attendance are the President of Ireland – Michael D Higgins, An Taoiseach – Micheál Martin TD, Tánaiste – Leo Varacdkar TD, members of the Dáil and Seanad, and the and diplomatic corps. Members of the Defence Forces are providing the ceremonial honours for the occasion. For those at home the ceremony is being broadcast live on RTÉ One.

    Film clip of the handover ceremony of Dublin Castle in 16 January 1922, from British Pathé News Archive.

    Members of the Defence Forces played a prominent ceremonial role at the centenary commemoration of the handover of power on 16 January 1922 to the Provisional Government in Dublin Castle. The Captain’s Guard of Honour – commanded by Captain Shane Flood – was made up of personnel from 3 Infantry Battalion, Stephen’s Barracks, Kilkenny; the Guard of Honours Flag Officer was Second Lieutenant Zara Bolger. The Captain’s Escort of Honour – commanded by Captain Michael Conneely – was provided by 2 Cavalry Squadron from Cathal Brugha Barracks. The No 1 Army Band conducted by Captain John Carpenter, was accompanied by Piper – Company Sergeant Kevin Duncan. The National Flag was carried on parade and raised by Captain Paul Ryan – Officer Training Wing, and Sergeant Shirley Stafford – No. 3 Operations Wing. Shirley has unbroken family service since 1922. Her Great Grandfather Christopher Jordan – service No. 4869 – enlisted on 13 April 1922. Other ceremonial components were made up representatives from the 7 Infantry Battalion, Air Corps and Naval Service.

  • A Strong Voice For Veterans – The Veterans Commissioner For Northern Ireland

    A Strong Voice For Veterans – The Veterans Commissioner For Northern Ireland

    A Strong Voice for Veterans – The Veterans Commissioner For Northern Ireland

    Recognising the challenges facing veterans today Danny Kinahan was appointed as Northern Ireland’s first Veterans Commissioner in September 2020. Since that time Danny, a British Army veteran himself, and his team – Alan Murphy and Rachael Harger – have been working with veterans’ support organisations throughout the island of Ireland, advocating for better supports, listening to the challenges, and urging veterans to get in touch.

    Many who leave the armed services may not require help – but others do across a number of areas.  This might include mental or physical health – or to other matters such as housing and retraining. Getting the right supports to veterans is an ongoing challenge.

    Over the past eight months we have been working with Danny and his team to help produce a series of videos to help introduce him and his team, and promote their work and veterans supports throughout the island of Ireland. We would encourage veterans’ charities/organisations and veterans themselves to share this video in order to help communicate the message: if you need help there is support.

    If you are a former member of the British Armed Forces on the island of Ireland that needs support or you know a such a veteran that needs support you can contact the Northern Ireland Veterans Commissioner’s Office or the Northern Ireland Veterans’ Support Office, details below.

    Northern Ireland Veterans Commissioner’s Office

    Web: www.nivco.co.uk

    E: commissioner@nivco.co.uk

     Tel: +44 (0) 28 90527734

    Northern Ireland Veterans’ Support Office

    Web: www.nivso.org.uk

    E: info@nivso.org.uk

    Tel: +44 (0) 28 95216784

    We would like to thank the following organisations for their help during the production of this video: Decorum NI, Frontier Pipes and Drums, Inspire Wellbeing, Horses for People, The Not Forgotten Association, The Royal British Legion (Northern Ireland), The Royal British Legion (Rep. of Ireland), and The Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association

    This project was made possible with kind support from The Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, the NI Veterans Commissioner’s Office and the NI Veterans’ Support Office.

    This video is a production of The Irish Military Heritage Foundation CLG: (RCN) 20203159.

    You can help support our projects on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=56748863 The Dept. of Tourism Culture Arts Gaeltacht Sport and Media