An Cosantóir

www.military.ie THE DEFENCE FORCES MAGAZINE | 39 strength was 150, several of whom deployed to the border with the hastily organised 17 Inf Gp. Reserv- ists were mobil- ised and troops recalled from UN- FICYP. In 1972, the battalion formed a company in Kilkenny and al- though numbers later increased, the unit remained heavily commit- ted in the ATCP role including Portlaoise Prison, cash escorts and further border deployments. The battalion received its first allotment of seven Panhard APCs in 1973 and in 1976 the battalion formed a Special Assault Group, codenamed "Oakleaf" under the command of Lt Billy Harrington. In 1978, the first Bloods deployed to Lebanon with UNIFIL, mostly serving with B Coy throughout the UNIFIL deployment. By the early 1980s, Connolly Barracks had undergone some modernisation with for example electric heaters replacing "pot belly" turf stoves and televisions appearing in the billets. In March 1981 Sgt 'Hooker' O'Regan, the longest serving Blood and a popular character, passed away on the last day of his military service. His service with the battalion had commenced in 1938 and included three tours in the Congo and several All-Army titles in Rugby and Gaelic football. The ATCP commitment continued; as in November 1987 when a company was deployed to the border at short notice to partici- pate in Operation Mallard, an intensive search operation for PIRA arms dumps. In October 1991, the 'Battle of the Bloods' competition was initi- ated to increase combat fitness in the battalion; a gruelling mix of infantry run, falling plates and combat swimming, this proved a popular event for years to come. Periodic and intensive APC Crew- man courses were organ- ised, which included amphibious training in Blessington Lake, 16 Pan- hard APCs now served with the bat- talion. 1997 proved to be a successful year for the battalion, training with the new Tactical Engagement Simulator in time to win the All Army Platoon in Attack competition that summer and in October winning the All-Army 81mm mortar competition. On 23rd January 1998, serving and former Bloods enthusiasti- cally celebrated the 75th anniversary in Connolly Barracks, few realising the momentous changes that were coming. The Bloods were greatly impacted by the Defence Forces reorganisation of 1998, the battalion absorbing the troops of the former 30 Inf Bn in Stephens Barracks, Kilkenny, which now became their main base of operations. Although B Coy remained in Connolly Bar- racks, they now shared with other units and the old officers and NCOs messes were closed. On 14th February 2000, the battalion suffered the worst single loss of life in its history when four young soldiers returning from Lebanon on leave were killed in a traffic accident south of Beirut; Privates Declan Deere (21), Jonathan Murphy (21), John Lawler (23) and Brendan Fitzpatrick (19) were flown home by the Air Corps and buried with full military honours. In 2001 the aging Panhard APCs were finally retired and B Coy retrained with the Mowag Piranha, reaching a proficiency that enabled them to play the central role in Exercise Flagstaff in June 2002. In June 2009 the company carried out a unit confidence- training block including abseiling from the Curragh Water Tower and jumping from the bridge on Blessington Lake. Under the 2012 reorganisation, B Coy in the Curragh became 1 Mechanised Company (1 MIC). Although this broke the final link between the Bloods and Connolly Barracks, the new unit's heritage was obvious in its unit insignia. 3 Inf Bn remained based in Ste- phens Barracks in Kilkenny, with C, D and E Companies now com- prising Reserve Defence Force personnel from Waterford, Wexford, Carlow, Kildare, Kilkenny and Laois. Reflecting the current security situation, the battalion conducted Exercise Strongbow in Waterford in May 2016 to test the response plan in the event of an increased threat to national security. In March 2017, Exercise Turas Fada involved multi role scenarios encompassing a wide variety of situations encountered at home or on overseas deployment. In August 2017, Exercise Céim Deireanach involved tactical exercises by a Three Star Course in the Glen of Imaal before being transported by LÉ Eithne from Rosslare to Fort Davis for FIBUA training. In February 2018, the battalion provided vital ATCA assistance across its wide AO when the "Beast from the East" inflicted arctic conditions on the country. In March 2018 the battalion provided the majority of personnel for the 57 Inf Gp, which deployed to UNDOF that year. In October a team from the battalion won a Silver Medal at the Cambrian Patrol; already regarded as the most difficult military exercise in the world, Storm Callum added to the already gruelling conditions. The 3 Inf Bn will celebrate its centenary within three years; its status as the Army's oldest unit is as renowned as its reputation as one of its most professional. A 3 Inf Bn Association for retired members was formed in Kilkenny in October 2015.

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