Osprey Men-at-Arms 417 : The Irish Defence Forces since 1922

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, with minimal resources, it faced the challenge of maintaining Ireland's integrity as a neutral. In the post-war peace it found a new role in 1960, when it provided troops for the United Nations intervention in the war-torn Congo; and for the past 40 years it has consistently supported UN missions in the Middle East and elsewhere. More recently the common border with troubled Ulster has obliged the Republic to invest in modernization and reform. Neutral Ireland's freedom to seek examples and equipment world wide has created an interesting progression of uniforms, which are illustrated in this study of Ireland's forces over 80 years. Text by Donal MacCarron with illustrations by Bill Younghusband.

Contents

• Formation of Free State National Army
• Civil War 1922-23
• The Diminished Force of the 1930s
• The Political Background to the Volunteer Territorial Force
• The Treaty Ports & Forts Handed Back in 1938
• World War II
  The Difficulties of Neutrality
  The Emergency Army & Local Defence Force
  The Eight Invasion Scares
• Post-war Reorganisation
• Peace-keeping missions
• Border Security & Counter-Terrorism since 1968
• The Controversial EU Commitment