Tag Archives: Irish Army

Ennis native, Brigadier General Adrian Ó Murchú has taken up his appointment as Assistant Chief of Staff (ACOS) following the retirement of previous ACOS, Brigadier General Peter O’Halloran. Brigadier General Ó Murchú joined the Permanent Defence Forces in 1982 as a member of the 59thCadet Class and was commissioned as an officer into the infantry corps in 1984. Prior to joining the Defence Forces, Brigadier General Ó Murchú spent several years in the Army Reserve (22ndInfantry Battalion FCA) in his home town of Ennis. On commissioning, Brigadier General Ó Murchú served in the 6thInfantry Battalion, the Army Ranger Wing (Ireland’s Special Operations unit), Military Intelligence and the Military College’s Infantry School. Later appointments included Company Commander and Second in Command of the 5thInfantry Battalion, Chief Instructor of the Cadet School, Head of European Security Section in Operations and Plans Branch Defence Forces Headquarters (DFHQ), School Commandant of the UN Training School Ireland and Commanding Officer of the Defence Force’s Central Medical …

EIGHTEEN minutes into the county semi-final, Cratloe goalkeeper Pierce DeLoughrey was considering all options. Where was the nearest exit and should he make a run for it? Four times the size five had settled in the net behind the Limerick-based army man and he held himself directly responsible for three of Miltown’s goals. His mind was racing and the last thing the Cratloe captain envisaged was that his club would somehow excavate their way into the 2016 county final. Eleven points down, DeLoughrey was convinced that it was going to be a long winter. “I gave away two goals and for the third one, I was beaten on my near post. So it was my fault for three of them. I was embarrassed and frustrated. But I tried not to throw the rattle out of the cot because I was captain. You have to try and lead by example so, as down as I was, I tried to get on …

By Owen Ryan IRISH Times security analyst Tom Clonan’s memoir Whistleblower, Soldier, Spy– A Journey into the Dark Heart of the Global War on Terror brings the reader to some hotspots of conflict as well as exploring the heartbreaks and traumas he has suffered in recent years. The former Irish Army officer may be the only journalist ever to secure permission to interview soldiers transiting through Shannon. While much has been said and written about the morality of a neutral country allowing one of its airports to be used by the US, the human story of the soldiers, many of whom have come from very disadvantaged backgrounds, isn’t often heard. “There have been over a million troops going through since about 2002 and for me it was a very moving experience. We’re used to seeing images of the US troops going through the airport and on TV they’re always in that mid focus, you don’t get to see the faces …