An Cosantóir

of German and Polish enlisted men, to fight in Spain. The tradition of serving with the French army continued in 1870 during the Franco-Prussian War when a large group of Irish medical volunteers served in the Franco-Irish Ambulance Brigade. The exhibition also covers the role of Irish men and women in the two world wars – in particular Samuel Beckett's service with the French Resistance in World War II, including his flight from the Nazis. Beckett initially joined the information network Gloria SMH, which worked with the special operations executive of the Resistance, where he translated confidential documents that were microfilmed and smuggled to London. Despite having many incriminating documents at his house, which could have lead to his arrest and execution, Beckett managed to escape when the network was exposed and its members arrested. He fled Paris to the South of France with his partner, Suzanne Dechevaux–Dumesnil, where he continued to store arms for the Resistance. After the war Beckett was awarded the Croix de Guerre, a French military award for heroism, and was described as "a very brave man who for two years acted as an intelligence officer". During the 1980s, when the Irish Defence Forces were not recruiting and service in the British Army was not popular due to the Troubles, many Irishmen joined the French Foreign Legion. (A number of retired Legionnaires attended the event in Collins Bks.) The last section of the exhibition deals with the most recent co-operation between the French army and the Irish Defence Forces in the EUFOR Tchad/RCA mission. This display includes the awards and medals presented to Lt Gen Pat Nash (a guest at the official opening with his wife Deirdre) during his tenure as Operational Commander of the mission from October 2007 to June 2009. "I was very happy that we could transport (this exhibition) to Dublin and translate it also," said the French Ambassador Mde d'Achon. "We think that school children can come here and learn more, perhaps about the past and the wars of the times, but also to learn about peace in Europe, because a good part of the exhibition is about what Europe is doing now to protect peace and to encourage peacekeeping." The display at Collins Barracks Museum runs to June 2013. | 29 Lt Gen Pat Nash awards collection, including Legion d'Honnour, 2nd left Lt Gen Pat Nash, former Opcdr EUFOR Tchad RCA, with the French Military Attaché, Col Alain Bayle Pictured (l/r): Capitaine Cédric Dwoinikoff (92ème régiment d'infanterie de Clermont-Ferrand), MP Cpl Mark Hughes, Gendarme Salvatore Inserra (French Embassy Police Officer) and MP Cpl Michael Kelly Pictured (l/r): Lt Col Brendan Delaney (OC 7th Inf Bn) and Lt Col Charles Arminjon (OC 92ème régiment d'infanterie de Clermont-Ferrand) * The Wild Geese is the collective term traditionally given to the men who left Ireland in large Pictured (l/r): Gendarme Denis Lambolez (French Embassy Police Officer), Lt Col Brendan Delaney (OC 7th Inf Bn), Gennumbers to join the darme Salvatore Inserra (French Embassy Police Officer) and armies mainly of Lt Col Charles Arminjon (OC 92ème régiment d'infanterie de France, Spain, Austria Clermont-Ferrand) and Russia. A descendant of the Wild Geese, Patrice MacMahon, became president of the Third French Republic in 1873, and one of the main avenues leading from the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, is named after him. www.military.ie the defence forces magazine

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