Well said ray.

Agree Ronan was in it myself and had great times there. Typical isn’t it. Hit every single thing that would appeal to working class youth. Thats all this government do it take from the youth. No wonder there is so much crime around when you basically treat certain sections of young people with contempt.

love that quote. :-)

Lost count of how many times I’ve used that.

But what do you mean by quoting this? It’s a wonderful quote because of it’s ambiguity…

Hi Nikolas, my opinion in this discussion is that we do need an army, the size is an issue alright but we need a core of dedicated professional soldiers skilled in all modern technology and systems, we also need a reserve as we can’t afford a large full time army. There should be closer liaison between our defence forces and other defence forces from neutral countries in order to maintain standards The reserve should be kept and upgraded. The current threat is from the criminal gangs and it’s not too long ago since we had a real threat from “republican” paramilitaries and as they say they haven’t really gone away. Getting rid of an army in peace time is an open invitation for a small determined group to destabilise our country.

And Gerry thank you for your service.

You want to bring in conscription?

Second that. The 2010 figure for pay for the chaplaincy was about €4,000,000 and the Reserves was about €1,500,000 for the same period. Now that chaplaincy money went to pay for the upkeep of maybe a dozen churches and maybe 20 priests and subs to the church I’m sure. Need the chaplaincy, but still quite a lot of cash there for very short hours.

Most of the Reserves budget went on pay and allowances for regular army staff (cadre) to liaise with and provide military services (feeding, transport, equipment stores) for the Reserves. Fulltime training hours have been cut in successive years to maximum of 7 paid days a year and 14 days for those on specialist courses.

I am a reservist and I can tell you all that being a reservist in this country actually COSTS me money, in terms of equipment, travel expenses, food. Hand on heart, that is a price I am willing to pay as I think that having a reserve is a positive thing for the youth of the country and those who want to serve their country.

I third it.

Also a reservist, and i’ve put a hell of a lot into it. Not saying that i haven’t gotten a lot of benefits in return but i can tell you now it sure as hell wasn’t financial!

The ignorance and mindless hatred im seeing in the comments on this article is disappointing. I signed up to help support the DF whatever in way i can, beats me why people feel the need to show contempt for that.

Funny.

I can understand the need for a few boats to deter the drug dealers, but the Irish Republic is far too small and insignificant to ever warrant having a Defence Force.

It should be stuck in the “waste of money” basket with the Irish “language” and other ridiculous wastes of tax pounds.

I think you’ll find William that the currency in Ireland is Euro not pounds. And Ireland is far from insignificant.

Haha pounds? Get with it! And whats your problem with the Irish language?

That opinion comes across as quite aggressive Mr. Thom. Especially coming from a non-resident.

Not the best way to make anyone rethink their countries defence spending.

Really William? You obviously haven’t noticed how many times they been called out this year alone to deal with terrorist threats and potentially explosive chemicals etc., not to mention the leading role they take in peacekeeping tasks around the globe. Cop yourself on.

we have the reserve army and the full time army…reserve army will not be out for any kind of bomb disposal they are more for strenght in numbers for crowed control

We could have done with the defense forces back in the early 17th century.

It’s sad to see an Ulster Scot belittle the Irish language,his ancestors spoke a variant of it too.Just shows you how poisonous the loyalist mentality is.

Funny how William Charles Thompson refers to the Republic of Ireland as the Irish Republic. The Irish Republic was the entity created in 1919 by Irish Sinn Féin MPs who defected from the Westminster government to create the 1st Dáil which, in the eyes of the Irish Republic at least, encompassed the entire island of Ireland. It legally ceased to exist in 1921 under the terms of the Anglo-Irish Treaty. Either Mr. Thompson is living in the early part of the 20th century, or he has a secret desire to restore the 1919 Dáil. Regarding his hatred of the Irish language and the complete and utter vitriol he pours on its speakers; I guess that’s what’s to be expected of a racist troll. As we say where I’m from, “bíonn caora dhubh ar an tréad is gile”, or as William might prefer, “Thar is aa a black tuip amang tha paircel”.

Well, Sir William Charles Troll, if the Irish Defence Forces didn’t exist you sure as hell would have seen a lot more IRA organising in Ireland so chances are you and your loyalist buddies would have had quite a few more guns up yer asses. The Irish Defence Forces don’t just protect us ‘Southerners’ but also the population of the North, loyalist and nationalist, by keeping paramilitaries in the Republic of Ireland in check.

Buuuuuut, I’m pretty sure you don’t care about that because you just like to come on here and try and wind up ‘Taigs’. Bigots like you are the reason whey whenever we think we see progress in the North it then regresses. Keep it up guys. It makes us look good and you look bad.

Slán agus Éirinn go Brách

RE: William Charles Thom

That has to be the biggest pile of bollocks I have ever heard. “Insignificant”, you clearly have no knowledge of geography. Ireland is probably the best placed country in the world at the moment for armies at war with the British and American’s. If we had no defence force then their would be an open door for these armies to set up a vital base. Far-fetched, i know, but they would definitely pummel Britain being that close and with modern warfare at it’s peak then they would surely do damage to America. We have no idea what other countries strategic plans are and it is bold to think that they would place themselves between to of the strongest armies in the world but if they have the numbers and the arsenal then they will have no problems.

William Charles Thom,

Perhaps you should rescind your nationality, you seem to have little comprehension of the importance of citizenship, nationality and culture or what it is to be Irish. I have yet to meet and Irish ex-pat abroad that doesn’t make some attempt to speak a ” cúpla focal”.

Your association of national size and requirement for a DF shows no comprehension of threat, nor of the positive benefits for society of enabling young people to participate in expressing their national pride in a meaningful and selfless way.

To quote Gen Costello from 1966, “There has always been an Army in Ireland, there will always be an Army in Ireland, the question is whose Army do you want it to be?”

There are other and indeed better ways to save tax payers euros (we have changed our currency). Of the 21 countries listed as having no army all have arrangement with their former colonial rulers to provide security and military assistance if required. Would you have us do the same? The last time we invited the English in to assist in a local tribal issue it took us 800 years for them to leave.

Furthermore Costa Rica constitutionally abolished its army in 1949, today it has one of the largest US Naval bases outside of the mainland US, home to some 7,000 troops, 200 helicopters and 46 warships, and why are they there? Because Costa Rica requested assistance on the war on terror, all this in a land mass the size of Rhode Island.

Need I say any more?

Don’t need one any more we have several Panzer divisions and the Luftwaffe .

There is no army in Ireland, it’s a defence force, and is there to defend us from more than just the hypothetical invading nation.

just because we say we are ‘neutral ‘ won’t stop another country invading us. having said that, what have we got to tempt a foreign power, rain for the Spanish maybe, strategic base for the Yanks to trottle Europe maybe, nice fields for the frogs to grow their garlic maybe, holiday island for the Brits maybe, ………………..anyway, bad idea to get rid of the fca and slua. loved it when I was end back in the 80′s.

@ Steve…
Fairly sure there is an army in Ireland…
I saw 2 army lads wearing vests that clearly had the word “army” on the front and back…

Also there website…. http://www.military.ie/ARMY

The defence forces is decided into 3… The navy, the air corps and the army….

I heard somewhere that to actually declare yourself neutral a country has to be capable of defending themselves from their territory being used by an aggressor, hence why the neutral Swiss insist on all men over 18 having some form of military training

Who then do you expect to defend your right to take the “micháel”.Do you think the suits in Europe will. Every sovereign state is required to maintain a full time defence force and a reserve. By any standard the Irish don’t even have what could be called a token defence force ,but they are still highly respected ALL over the world. Many of the UN observers have been trained by the Irish. Many Palestinian and Israeli, east Temorese,Liberians,Congolese are alive because a”tiny neutral country” does keep a defences force(there has never been an army in Ireland since the English left in 1922).
The biggest problem the reserve have is that the government will not give them a defined task, why, you need to ask the politicisations in Dail Eireann.

@jumpthecat The defence forces protect the public from internal threats also – bomb disposal, protecting money drops, supplementing the gardai when they are out of their depth, not to mention work outside of the country in international peace keeping roles. They are experts on counter-terrorism also.

shows your knowledge of the reserve . These young men and women give up their valuable free time ,not for payment but to train to the same standard as their full time comrades and fulfull a meaning role within the defence force. To compare their training to playing is an insult to the defence forces as a hole.

Everyone I know that is in the RDF is in it for the money and couldn’t care less about the training and I know a lot of people in it.

mmmmmm. don’t think so. I learned weapons, marksmanship, safety, mounteering, first aid, field craft, map and compass reading, discipline, fitness, etc….. you don’t get that playing cowboys and Indians.

@alan hanlon to compare the training of the RDF to that of the PDF is an insult! I will give credit to the people who volunteer their time in the RDF, but there is no comparison between the two.

i have had the pleasure of knowing hundreds of reservists and have never come across anyone who was in it for the money ! which the majority is one weeks payment for completing 24/7 days straight deployment. Value for money being available year in year out 12 months . As non comparrison i think you’ll find a large majority would disagree with such uniformed dripple.

i have had the pleasure of knowing hundreds of reservists and have never come across anyone who was in it for the money ! which the majority is one weeks payment for completing 24/7 days straight deployment. Value for money being available year in year out 12 months . As non comparrison Simon, i think you’ll find a large majority would disagree with such uniformed dripple.

@alan hanlon you’re delusional if you think that the RDF are trained to the same level as the PDF. There is no comparison between the training. RDF train on a part time basis and a couple I weeks during the summer, how can you compare that to the PDF recruit training? It takes an nco 27 weeks on a full time course to get their promotion. How long does it take a member of the RDF? I know plenty of people in the PDF that would be insulted with the comparison you are trying to make.

@Simon, have you ever been in the PDF or the Rdf?

@barry doyle proud to say I was a member of the PDF and have had many dealings with the RDF in my job there. So I’d like to think I have little knowledge on the matter. I’m not knocking the RDF or the people who volunteer for it just highlighting the difference between the levels of training and the amount of time spent training PDF recruits. I could get into specifics and give plenty of examples to back up what I’m saying, but a public forum such as this is not the place. Have you ever served in the PDF or the RDF?

@Simon, I am proud to say I was in the Rdf for a number of years. I agree with you about the time spent training is very little compared to the PDF. However, I have to disagree about the quality of training. I knew many lads that would give a PDF lad a run for his money.

Agree with Simon as a former NCO in the PDF. There is NO comparison with regards of ‘actual’ training, commitment, discipline and expertise between the PDF & RDF.
The only similarity is that they wear the same uniform. Swear the same oath & have the same if not close to the same syllabus of training, etc.. Though it’s NOT carried out by the RDF and it’s always been clear to see in their manner, attitude, deportment and common sense. They just don’t have the time as they only train 8/9 months a year for 2 hours a week with the odd fuels day. And in this time they’re not accounted for and if they don’t turn up they’re not punished under military law, and that’s to be understood as they are volunteers more so than soldiers.
I will agree that there are some top guys/girls who looked great and had an interest in the military life, but by no means is there any comparison with regards of professionalism!
The FCA/RDF can be and should be done without.
The PDF on the other hand are a force to be reckoned with both at home and abroad.

You probably played Barbie and tea pots with the girls

@Graham. Yeah. That’s a mature comeback!
You should’ve/could’ve put more energy into justifying the FCA/PDF’s existence if you really had a leg to stand on, as you know inside my points are clear, precise & apt!
In my ‘opinion’ The FCA/RDF should be disbanded and stood down as there is just no logic or sense in holding on to them. There are more in the RDF than the army, air corps and navy combined. Senseless!
The RDF can’t even be used in the event of a units decreasing numbers regarding commitments and overseas.
My former unit used to be on its last legs trying to withstand the pressures of manning our barracks due to troops on temp duty, courses, overseas training and aid to civil power commitments, yet the RDF were never called upon to do barrack security duties as they were not to be trusted in turning up and having appropriate equipment which they hadn’t a clue to use as they had ‘no law’ on themselves and therefore 9 times out of 10 could and would not be charged under military law due to punctuality, a sense or deportment which is carried out in inspections on every regular soldier (black beret) twice daily.
The RDF are overated and should be disbanded!
The PDF should remain because they are needed and for a small island, we have a force both professional and expandable enough to defend our shores and sea.

@Boy Russell

I think Graham was talking to Sean Mc Avinue, not you.

Oh. At that rate, I stand corrected with an apology at hand.

mmmmmm……. special forces. eh.? so many people claim to be ex special forces, SAS, or even Irish ranger wing. the thing is, most of these special forces groups are secretive and would never confirm or deny an enquiry as to weather someone was a member or not. So I was ex SAS. Prove me wrong……..

having said that, I’m not saying you are having us on as I believe the USA. special forces are not as secretive. I suppose the Delta group would be on a par with the sas.

Declan, It was over 20 years ago and we was under the direct command of the President. The film Blackhawk down was based on us.

can’t find your name in the credits rich…
Where as I fought trolls n elves. and was under the direct command of a Wizard!!

Isn’t that the old joke about how to spot an SAS trooper if you’re ever in Hereford, he’s the only guy in Hereford not claiming to be in the SAS.

Ah give it a break. People’s ignorance as to what the defense forces actually do is astounding

Shows how little you know. Military.ie might be worth a moment of your time.

the rdf are very well trained and use the same equipment as the PDF. the bankers pay the government for the cash security. the reserve naval guys and girls go onboard our navy ships for most of the summer and travel the world. all are trained in firefighting, sea survival, first aid, etc. a lot of time and effort is expended by the PDF and navy getting the rdf up to speed. get you facts right.

hear hear Alan .

The people of Bosnia, Lebanon, Kosovo and Chad would disagree with you about the our army just protecting cash vans.

the banks pay for cash delivery protection….

That’s the boy Michael, if you haven’t a clue then it must be stupid!!! Loving your logic

Now this is the worst comment I’ve ever seen on The Journal without doubt. So you actually class army protection for securicor vans as a perk for the bankers. I’m actually gonna delete this app after such a shit comment and jump off a bridge do I never have to read such bollix again