Photos by John O’Byrne
The Cavalry Corps is one of the oldest Corps in Óglaigh na hÉireann / Irish Defence Forces. Each year the troopers come together at the Cavalry Memorial Garden, DFTC, to honour and remember their deceased members and the sacrifices made at home and overseas.
Cavalry Day is traditionally held on the first Saturday of September.
Ar dheis Dé go raibh a n-anamacha
Carpe Diem
Photos by John O’Byrne
Members of the 2nd Infantry Battalion Association paraded at Dublin’s Mansion House today to commemorate the convening of the Second Dáil on 16 August 1921.
Taking the salute from the veterans at the Mansion House the Lord Mayor of Dublin, Cllr Alison Gilliland, said: “It is an honour to welcome the Second Infantry Battalion veterans Association to the Mansion House today to mark the centenary of the first meeting of the Second Dáil in the Round Room at the Mansion House.”
Today marks the 60th anniversary of the Niemba Ambush; in which nine Irish peacekeepers serving in the Congo were killed.
Photographs: Defence Forces Press Office
On 27 July 1960, Ireland deployed the 32nd Infantry Battalion to support peacekeeping operations with the United Nations Operation in the Congo (Opération des Nations Unies au Congo, ONUC). The 33rd Infantry Battalion soon followed boarding U.S. Air Force Globemasters in Casement Aerodrome on 18 August.
Niemba is a small town in Katanga, a province in south-east Congo. Following secession its local population of Luba, or Baluba people, did not support the secessionists. In October the area was attacked by Katangese gendarmes and European mercenaries who mascaraed many of the local Baluba people. Irish troops were sent to secure and stablise the area. Many of the villages were deserted. A search of the area identified a damaged bridge over the Luweyeye River. On 8 November an eleven man patrol from the 33rd Infantry Battalion ONUC, under Lt Kevin Gleason, was sent to secure the bridge. The patrol was stopped by a road. Dismounting they were approached by some 100 Lubas. Lt Gleason and Sgt Hugh Gaynor attempted to talk to the group peacefully, but were attacked. The patrol was forced to take cover. However, due to sheer numbers the Irish peacekeepers were overrun.
The fallen peacekeepers:
Lt Kevin Gleeson (30)
Sgt Hugh Gaynor (29)
Cpl Peter Kelly (25)
Cpl Liam Dougan (34)
Pte Matthew Farrell (22)
Tpr Thomas Fennell (18)
Tpr Anthony Browne MMG (20)
Pte Michael McGuinn (21)
Pte Gerard Killeen (27)
The Defence Forces, along with veterans, paid their respects to the their fallen comrades at a commemoration yesterday at the memorial garden in Cathal Brugha Barracks, Rathmines.
Wreaths were laid by:
CQMS (Retd) Michael Colton (President Post 1, IUNVA), a member of the 33rd Infantry Battalion and part of the escort party who brought their fallen comrades home to Ireland.
Brig Gen (Retd) Colm Campbell (Chairman of the Board of Directors, ONE)
General Officer Commanding 2nd Brigade, Brig Gen Tony Cudmore
To mark the anniversary the Irish Defence Forces Military Archives have created an online exhibition here.
Wishing the Irish Defence Forces a happy 96 birthday. Under the Defence Forces (Temporary Provisions) Act, 1923 the Executive Council formally established Óglaigh na hÉireann – the Irish Defence Forces on 1 October 1924. Its predecessor – the National Forces 1922/1924 – had been a pillar in helping form the democratic institutions of the new Irish Free State. Since that time the Irish Defence Forces have remained steadfast to that mantra on land, sea, and air. No matter what the deployment, emergency, or task, the permanent and reserve men and women of the Defence Forces have stood fast to defend the people of Ireland and the democratic institutions of the State at home and overseas.
Thank you for your service.
On Friday 7 August we met up with two retired Kildare veterans to record their stories: Sergeant Sharon McNamara and Sergeant Major Billy Redmond.
Sharon comes from a long line of military service with grandfathers on both sides serving in the early days of Óglaigh na hÉireann / Irish Defence Forces. Growing up on the Curragh, joining the Amy was a natural progression. In 1981, a decision was made to recruit women under general enlistment. Along with forty other young ladies, Sharon found herself part of the Defence Forces first all-female recruit platoon. As this was a new chapter in the history of the Defence Forces Sharon had some enlightening stories to tell. At that time women could not serve in combat units. Even guard duties were off the list. This did not take long to change as Sharon explained: ‘in many ways we pioneered the way for those that came after us’. Sharon primarily served in the Administration School and the Curragh Command Headquarters. Retiring after 21 years’ service, Sharon now works for The Kerry Group in Naas.
Sergeant Major Redmond is a well-known veteran from Kilcullen, who regularly writes and gives talks on his 45 years’ service in the Defence Forces. Billy joined in the late 1950s and served with the Signal and CIS Corps. Billy spent ten years on missions with the United Nations Peacekeeping, three tours in the Congo, two in Cyprus, and nine in South Lebanon. Billy’s first overseas tour was to the Congo with the 32nd Infantry Battalion and was able to give us insight how signallers operated in those harsh conditions. No smart phones back then, it was old style Morse Code. Impressively Billy can still tap out 22 words a minute.
Thank you to Jim Brady from ONE Ireland in Kildare for arranging the interviewees and to NC & JO’B Photography Studio & Gallery in Rathangan for the use of their facilities and support. Covid 19 safety precautions were observed during our interviews.
This project is sponsored by County Kildare Heritage Office and Creative Ireland.
60 years ago today, Ireland deployed troops on its first battalion size United Nations deployment.
The Congo became independent from Belgium on 30 June 1960, in turn triggering a sequence of destabilising events. The Belgian commander, Lieutenant General Émile Janssens, refused to rapidly ‘Africanize’ the officers’ corps of the Force Publique (the army), resulting in disorder and mutinies. To protect Belgians remaining in the country, the Belgian government decided to intervene. Belgium also sent troops to support Moïse Tshombé the President of the mineral rich breakaway province of Katanga. South Kassi also seceded.
Amid continuing unrest and violence, the United Nations deployed peacekeepers to help the central government in Léopoldville under President Joseph Kasa-Vubu and Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba. Involvement by the Soviet Union split the Congolese government further worsened the situation.
The United Nations Operation in the Congo (French: Opération des Nations Unies au Congo, ONUC) was rapidly established. ONUC was formally established by UN Security Council resolution 143 (1960) of 14 July 1960, by which it decided:
“to authorize the Secretary-General to take the necessary steps, in consultation with the Government of the Republic of the Congo, to provide the Government with such military assistance as might be necessary until, through that Government’s efforts with United Nations technical assistance, the national security forces might be able, in the opinion of the Government, to meet fully their tasks”
ONUCs initial mandate was to ensure the withdrawal of Belgian forces from the Republic of the Congo, to assist the Government in maintaining law and order, to provide technical assistance, and help to establish and legitimise the post-colonial government. It was modified as the situation evolved. The first troops reached Congo on 15 July 1960, many airlifted by the United States Air Force as part of Operation New Tape.
Dáil Éireann quickly passed legislation allowing the deployment of Irish personnel to the Congo. Ireland became one of thirty countries from around the world to provide peacekeepers for the mission. Just over two weeks later the 635-strong 32nd Infantry Battalion ONUC departed for the Congo on 27 July 1960. A month later the Irish contingent was brought to 1,000 with the arrival of the 33rd Infantry Battalion ONUC. The Irish contingent was further boosted when an Armoured Car Group began operations in the Congo on 15 January 1961.
The ONUC mission in the Congo lasted from 1960 to 1964 during which time 6,000 Irish troops served. During that time twenty six Irish soldiers lost their lives in the service of peace.
Project: Kildare’s Veterans’ Story
Taking part in our Kildare’s Veterans’ Story project today was Óglaigh na hÉireann / Irish Defence Forces veteran Dr Cathal Berry TD 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 in 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 supported by Kildare County Council Heritage Office and Creative Ireland.
The National Day of Commemoration
Photographs by John O’Byrne
The annual National Day of Commemoration took place today at 11:00a, today to commemorate all those Irishmen and Irishwomen who died in past wars or on service with the United Nations. The principal ceremony was held in the National Museum of Ireland, Collins Barracks, Dublin, with smaller events taken place around the country. The event is held on the Sunday closest to the 11 July, the date on which, in 1921, the Anglo-Irish Truce was agreed.
Due to Covid 19, restrictions were in place and this years event was much reduced with no members of the public in attendance.
During the ceremony the Taoiseach Micheál Martin TD invited President Michael D. Higgins to lay a wreath on behalf of the people of Ireland. Other invited guests include members of the Government, Council of State, elected Representatives, Diplomatic Corps, and Judiciary.
Photographs by Wesley Bourke
Anyone who has served in the Irish Defence Forces will be very familiar with the Glen of Imaal in the heart of Wicklow. In typical military fashion every training exercise or time on the range in this area is marked with either cold lashing rain or relentless attacks by midges; meaning you don’t exactly get a chance to take in the magnificent beauty or the historical landmarks. We took a visit to the Glen this week to research a project. The Glen of Imaal is a military training area and range since the turn of the 20th century, however, a military presence date back further. We were specifically looking for the old boundary stones and what we could find of Leitrim Barracks.
Military boundary stones and trenches can be found in many – but not all – former British military sites; primarily training areas and ranges that originally had no boundary wall or fence. Most are gone or have been reclaimed by nature; others, like in the Glen of Imaal, you walk past without taking notice. Their primary purpose was to delineate boundaries of a military site. The stones are marked with distinct letters and symbols which can help date them. For example: the broad arrow or crows foot denoting the Board of Ordnance have been in use since 1699. In 1805 this symbol was used on all ordnance stores in use by His Majesty’s Service. Admiralty boundary stones are adorned with the fouled anchor. Stones marked with the letters BO denotes the Boundary of the (Board of) Ordnance. The Board of Ordnance was disbanded in 1855 and became the War Department and from this date stones are marked WD. Each stone is given a number which denotes their location on a map. In the Glen of Imaal there are several stones clearly visible between Table and Lobawn mountains along a boundary trench with the markings WD and the arrow.
Another visible set of boundary stones and boundary trench can be found on the hills surrounding Kilbride Military Camp in Northwest Wicklow.
Two barracks were built in the Glen by the British military: Coolmoney Camp and Leitrim Barracks. The former is still in use by the Defence Forces, but Leitrim Barracks may not be familiar to you. Not to be confused with the county, Leitrim is a townland in the Glen of Imaal. Following the 1798 rebellion and the threat of French invasion, the authorities at the time developed a defence in depth plan for Ireland that included coastal defences and a barrack network complemented by an infrastructure that could allow for rapid deployment of units. In Wicklow a military road was sited and constructed by the War Office from 1801 to 1809. Starting at Rathfarnham the road runs to Aughavannagh, with a side route from Enniskerry to Glencree. The route from Rathfarnham to Aughavannagh covers 36 miles (58 km). Barracks were built/or sited along the way: Glencree, Liffy Head Bridge (not built), Laragh, Drumgoff in mid Glenmalure and Aughavannagh. Not on the Military Road, Leitrim Barracks in the Glen of Imaal was also built to protect the old mountain track way linking Glen of lmaal to Glendalough.
Leitrim Barracks could accommodate 200 troops. The main building caught fire in 1914 and the barracks was dismantled by the National Army Salvage Corps in 1923. Still marked on the map, the barracks today is forest with very little evidence that troops ever occupied the area. One photograph of the barracks in the National Library shows the main barracks building prior to the fire.
While in the area we paid our respects to the 16 soldiers who lost their life in an accident on 16 September 1941. The incident, known as the Glen of Imaal Disaster, occurred during a training exercise involving 27 officers and men from the army’s anti-aircraft battalion, artillery school, and corps of engineers. An antitank mine unexpectedly exploded immediately killing 15 while 1 later succumbed to wounds. Three other men were blinded in the accident.
Today marks the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers. It offers a chance to pay tribute to the uniformed and civilian personnel’s invaluable contribution to the work of the UN and to honour more than 3,900 peacekeepers who have lost their lives serving under the UN flag since 1948, including 102 in 2019.
This year, the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic are great, however, throughout this time UN peacekeepers have continued to support and protect the people in the countries they are based in.
To help mark the 20th anniversary of the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security, the theme for this year is ‘Women in Peacekeeping: A Key to Peace’.
Through UNSCR 1325, ensuing resolutions, as well as the Action for Peacekeeping (A4P) Declaration of Shared Commitments, the UN has called for an expansion of the role and contribution of women in its operations.
As we commemorate the 20th anniversary of Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security, we must do more to achieve women’s equal representation in all areas of peace and security. Together, let us continue to wage peace, defeat the pandemic and build a better future.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres
The first UN peacekeeping mission was established on 29 May 1948, when the Security Council authorised the deployment of a small number of UN military observers to the Middle East to form the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO) to monitor the Armistice Agreement between Israel and its Arab neighbors. Since then, more than 1 million women and men have served in 72 UN peacekeeping operations.
An Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar T.D, and the Minister with Responsibility for Defence, Paul Kehoe T.D, paid tribute to Irish peacekeepers currently deployed overseas under the constraints of COVID-19.
Welcoming this year’s theme, the Taoiseach said:
Since the first Irish troops first were deployed on UN peacekeeping operations in 1958, not a single day has passed without Irish participation in UN peace support operations. Over the past sixty two years, tens of thousands of Irish women and men have worn the blue helmets on UN peacekeeping operations. We are as proud of the blue helmet as we are of the harp or the shamrock.
Today is an opportunity to pay tribute to the members of the Irish Defence Forces carrying out this critical work amidst the constraints of COVID-19. And I want to highlight in particular the central role of our female peacekeepers, including Brigadier General Maureen O’Brien, who is currently serving in the role of Acting Force Commander with the UNDOF mission in Syria.
In paying tribute to the role played by Irish peacekeepers, Minister Kehoe remembered the peacekeepers who lost their lives on deployment.
The Minister continued:
This year is the twentieth anniversary of the landmark UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women Peace and Security, which put women’s’ rights and gender equality at the centre of global, regional and national peace and security efforts. Ensuring that the WPS agenda is implemented is therefore a timely shared priority across the common efforts of the UN, EU and NATO.
The advancement of the Women Peace and Security agenda in peacekeeping operations is an area in which Ireland has taken a proactive role. The promotion of a strong gender perspective is a key element in all our peacekeeping operations. The presence of women contributes greatly with resolving conflict and connecting with local populations. It broadens the skills sets available within a peacekeeping mission and importantly provides role models for women, both at home and abroad. Equitable, durable and sustainable peace and reconciliation cannot be built without women at the table.