Ireland's Military Story

Category: Irish Defence Forces

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

    OnThisDay 1924 Óglaigh na hÉireann/Irish Defence Forces Formally Established

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

    Defence Forces Crest

    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.”

  • Recording the Story of the 18pdr with Sgt Robert Delaney

    Recording the Story of the 18pdr with Sgt Robert Delaney

    Recording the Story of the 18pdr with Sgt Robert Delaney

    Photos by John O’Byrne and Michael Coyne

    First published on 26 August, 2022. Updated 1 March 2023.

    Delighted to release our production of: The Four Courts QF 18-pounder ‘9168’ Field Gun – From Restoration to Museum Display. This video was recorded on location last August in the Curragh Military Museum last August with Sgt Robbie Delaney, Irish Defence Forces Ordnance Corps. This video tells the story of the recently restored Ordnance QF 18-pounder Field Gun ‘9168’; one of the very same that fired the opening shots of the Irish Civil War in June 1922. Variants of the Ordnance 18-pdr served throughout the Great War – primarily with the British Artillery Regiments, in the early years of the National Army following the establishment of the Irish Free State, and with the Irish Defence Forces’ Artillery Corps up until the 1960s. This particular gun was sold off in the 1950s and disappeared across the Atlantic. As it turned out it stood guard outside a diner in Virginia, United States until historian Kenneth Smith-Christmas came across it and recognised it as an Irish Army 18-pdr. From there he contacted Lar Joye in the National Museum of Ireland , not long after a team was on its way over to inspect the gun. Brought home to Ireland the ‘Ivy Patch Gun’ as it was known has now been fully restored to as it was in 1922 by the team at the Ordnance Corps in the Curragh Camp. This is the story of The Four Courts QF 18-pounder ‘9168’ Field Gun – from restoration to museum display. In this video Sgt Robbie Delaney takes viewers through the history and service of the gun and the restoration and conservation process. An incredible undertaking and a credit to all the team involved. The restoration and conservation project is complemented by a exhibition in the Curragh Military Museum, depicting the firing on the Four Courts 28-30 June, 1922.

    The 18pdr Field Gun is currently on display in the National Museum of Ireland Collins Barracks, Dublin.

    Thank you to Military Archives, Kenneth Smith-Christmas, and British Pathé. This project was supported by Kildare Decade of Commemorations and The Dept. of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media.

    You can red the full story of the Ivy Patch Gun prior to its restoration and its journey back to Ireland in Kenneth Smith-Christmas article by clicking here.


    Big thank you to Sgt Robert Delaney Ordnance Corps and the team at the Curragh Military Museum.

  • In the Service of Peace – Congo Veterans

    In the Service of Peace – Congo Veterans

    In the Service of Peace – Our Congo Veterans

    Photos by John O’Byrne

    It was great to spend the day recording the personal accounts of veterans from Ireland’s deployment to the Congo (1960 – 1964) with Opération des Nations Unies au Congo (ONUC). Seamus Ua Trodd, Thomas Gunn, Noel O’Neill, Shay Delaney, and Gregory Leech recalled their memories of service with the 1stInfantry Group, 34th 35th, and 39th Infantry Battalions. The memories of these men were remarkable. Wide and diverse recollections gave a full account of the Ireland’s service in the Congo and what the then young men or teenagers in some cases went through. The first time on a plane, long range patrols in a country the size of western Europe, the Siege of Jadotville, interaction and helping local people, movement controller for UN aircraft, and asking your comrades to write letters home for you.

    To us these UN veterans are a national treasure and their accounts should be recorded for future generations

    Shay Delaney, and Gregory Leech
    Thomas Gunn
    Seamus Ua Trodd
    Noel O’Neill

    Thank you to the ONE Cathal Brugha for their support in this recording.

    This project is supported by the Community Foundation for Ireland. 

    You can support our projects by becoming a Patreon.

  • Company Sergeant Liam White (Rtd) – McKee Barracks Coy – UNFICYP – UNEF II

    Company Sergeant Liam White (Rtd) – McKee Barracks Coy – UNFICYP – UNEF II

    Company Sergeant Liam White (Rtd) McKee Barracks Coy

    UNFICYP – UNEF II

    Veterans are a key to any military story; they are the people who served, they are the people who were there. Recording their story helps preserve our past and can give us lessons for the future. There isn’t a community in Ireland where you will not meet an ex-service man or women. For our Kildare Veterans and In the Service of Peace project, we met up with retired Company Sergeant Liam White, who has lived in North Kildare with his family since 1986. Many people in Celbridge may remember Liam and his wife Patricia from when they ran the Order of Malta unit in Celbridge in the 1990s.

    Liam, who is originally from Dún Laoghaire, first joined the Irish Defence Forces/ Óglaigh na hÉireann in 1964 when he enlisted with B Company, 21st Infantry Battalion FCÁ. He has fond memories of marching in the annual 1916 commemorations during those early years. In 1967 Liam joined the Permanent Defence Force and was sent down to the Curragh Camp for recruit training. After passing out Liam was posted to McKee Barracks Company; the support unit for Defence Forces Headquarters. At this time the Army was only 7,500 strong. It was not long before Liam found himself on an NCO course and on 26 December 1968, he was promoted Corporal. With the outbreak of the Troubles the Defence Forces were put on high alert. Reservists were called up, and centres established to take in potential people fleeing the hostilities. When the border was established, Liam recalled periods when soldiers were meeting themselves coming off duties and patrols. The army had to expand due to the Troubles and initially there was no relief. Patrols, road blocks, and watching or hearing shootings along the border between Republicans and British Forces became the norm. On one occasion Liam collapsed after not sleeping for four days straight. One of the pictures Liam kept shows him having Christmas dinner while on the border.

    In 1970 Liam was then assigned as a Cadre Training NCO with the 21st Infantry Battalion FCÁ which took him all over the battalion area of South Dublin and North Wicklow. His first deployment overseas was with the 20th Infantry Group, United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) in April 1971. During this period tensions were high between the two communities on the island; the mission brought new challenges for the young Corporal. Promoted Sergeant, Liam deployed overseas again in April 1974 with the 26th Infantry Group, United Nations Emergency Force (UNEF II) in the Sinai. Not a blade of grass could be found in the blistering hot desert. The Irish men found themselves once again in between two heavily armed factions and vast areas of unexploded ordnance and mines. The unit were only settling in when the Dublin and Monaghan bombings took place at home and the unit was rapidly brought home by the end of May 1974.

    Liam served in various appointments in Defence Forces Headquarters including with An Cosantóir – the Defence Forces magazine and the Chief of Staff’s Branch. Liam retired from the Defence Forces in 1989 as a Company Sergeant. Thank you to Liam for telling his story and for his long service at home and overseas.

    This recording is part of our Kildare Veterans series and In the Service of Peace – exploring Ireland’s contribution to world peace: a project in conjunction with The Organisation of National Ex-Service Personnel, The Irish United Nations Veterans Association and The Association of Retired Commissioned Officers. This production was made possible with support by Kildare Library Services, Kildare Creative Ireland and the Community Foundation.

  • 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.