On The Defence Of Ireland Etc

This fascinating and original book is the first to analyse the evolution of internal security policy and external defence policy in Ireland from independence to the present day. Professor O'Halpin examines the very limited concept of external defence understood by the first generation of Irish leaders, going on to chart the state's repeated struggles with the IRA and with other perceived internal and external threats to stability. He explores the state's defence and security relations with Britain and the United States and, drawing extensively on newly released records, he deals authoritatively with problems of subversion, espionage, counterintelligence and codebreaking during the Second World War. In conclusion, the book analyses significant post-Second World War developments, including anti-communist co-operation with Western powers, the emergence of UN service as a key element of Irish foreign and defence policy, the state's response to the Northern Ireland crisis since 1969, and Ireland's difficulties in addressing the collective security dilemmas facing the European Union in the post-Cold War era. It is essential reading for anyone wishing to understand the development of independent Ireland since 1922.

Ireland's Second World War frontline troops were the men of the Coast Watching Service. From 1939-45 they maintained a continuous watch along the Irish shoreline, reporting all incidents in the seas and skies to Military Intelligence (G2). They had a vital influence on the development of Ireland's pro-Allied neutrality and on the defence of Ireland during 'The Emergency', as through their reports G2 assessed the direction of the Battle of the Atlantic off Ireland and reported belligerent threats to the state upwards to the Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces, to the Cabinet and Taoiseach and Minister for External Affairs Eamon de Valera. Using unique Irish military sources and newly available British and American material, the history of the coastwatchers and G2 combines to tell the history of the Second World War as it happened locally along the coast of Ireland and at national and international levels in Dublin, London, Berlin and Washington. Of particular importance, the study reveals in the greatest detail yet available the secret relationship between Irish military and diplomats and British Admiralty Intelligence, showing how coast watching service reports were passed on to the RAF and Royal Navy Britain in the hunt for German u-boats and aircraft in the Atlantic.

Born in the Civil War of 1922–23, the army of the Republic of Ireland occupied a sensitive place in the national culture for many years. In World War II, it faced the challenge of maintaining Ireland's integrity as a neutral. Post-war, it found a new role in 1960, providing troops for the United Nations intervention in the war-torn Congo; and since then has supported UN missions in the Middle East and elsewhere. More recently the border with troubled Ulster has obliged the Republic to invest in reform and modernisation. Ireland's freedom to seek examples and equipment worldwide has created an interesting progression of uniforms, illustrated in this study of Ireland's forces over 80 years.

The Irish Army draws its traditions from three sources: the 1916 Rising, the War of Independence and the Civil War. This book charts the history of the Irish Army, through its evolution from a guerrilla force to the legally constituted military arm of the Irish Government, up to the present day.

In the late 1980s, the 'army crisis' was dominating headlines in Ireland. Complaints of poor pay, low morale and unsatisfactory conditions for those serving in the Defence Forces were growing louder against the background of a government accused of being indifferent and an army hierarchy accused of being incapable. From amidst the turmoil, a group of women stepped up to pursue the rights of their men. Political crisis and a general election followed, but a commission established to examine the Defence Forces ignored the call for soldiers to acquire their own representative body.This book reveals for the first time, the deep-seated philosophies, tensions and reservations between Ireland's military and its government from the foundation of the State to the present day. It explores in detail the events that led to the successful pursuit of the democratic right of association for members of the armed forces in Ireland. It articulates the concept of the citizen in uniform and the special relationship between members of the armed forces and society. This is the story of the breaking of ranks.