An Cosantóir

14 In many ways Col (Retd) Sean O'Keeffe's future was pre- ordained. He lived beside Kickham Barracks in Clonmel as a youngster; his best friend's father was a Quarter Master Sergeant in the 3rd Cavalry Squadron - based in Clonmel - and his own ex-Old IRA grandfather used to drill him and his sibling, with hurleys as rifles, back in the day. Retired in December 2020, he now says: "There was never a day's regret in my 42 years. I always went to work happy; at no point did I think joining the army was a bad idea." Although actually a Kerryman (born in Killarney), he lived most of his young life in Clonmel, Co Tipperary. It was this fortuitous home move which would ultimately lead him to a 42-year-long career in the Defence Forces. "I joined as a Cadet and always remember the day – it was the day Munster beat the All Blacks in October 1978," he recalls, "It was straight out of school really, but I had already served two years as a 'child soldier' in the local FCA." He added: "Although I was only 15, a blind eye was turned to my age, so me and my best friend, Gerry Millea, joined the FCA together". His older brother Tom had also been in the FCA and was an Army Cadet before him. Now, freshly retired from a final posting as Deputy Military Representative of Ireland to the European Union in Brussels, Sean looks back over a career which has seen him do several tours of duty in the Lebanon and the Middle East, work in the troubled city of Sarajevo and Argentina, as well as many different roles at home in Ireland. After being commissioned as a 2/Lt and posted as a Cavalry Officer to the Depot Cavalry in the Curragh in 1980, he went on to study in UCG graduating with a B.Comm. Then, at the young age of 22, came his first overseas posting with UNIFIL in the Lebanon with the 54th Infantry Battalion commanded by Lt Col Jimmy Kelly. "I suppose you could say I was dropped in at the deep end in many ways. But it was a great learning experience; I dealt with all types of situations."However, it wasn't easy: "I spent most of my time in the turret of an armoured car, for six months in winter. People may have the impression that Lebanon is a warm, sunny place but they can have very wet and cold winters." The Israeli invasion was underway and Beirut was under siege. "Where we were in South Lebanon it was quiet but still quite tense. Our main role was to oversee what the Israelis were doing and to protect the local population. Overall, it was a relatively peaceful six months." Just before he returned to Ireland, he was transferred to the 2nd Cavalry Squadron based in Griffith Barracks in Dublin. A posting which proved particularly memorable, as he was involved with the Presidential Motorcycle Escort: "We provided the ceremonial escort to visiting Heads of State, which included the Crown Prince of Japan, the King of Spain and President of France! It was one of the best parts of my career." Towards the end of five years there, Griffith Barracks was closed and it fell to Sean to have the honour of taking down the Tricolour. "I was the last military person there." While there, he held a number of positions including Troop Commander, Transport Officer and Adjutant. He then moved to the Cavalry School in the Curragh, as an instructor on armoured vehicles, and later Technical Stores Officer in the workshops. "I was involved with maintenance programmes for vehicles such as the old Panhard armoured cars and then with the selection of its replacement by the Mowag armoured vehicle. It was an important job to be involved in the planning and procurement for the future." Sean was appointed Second in Command, 1st Armoured Cavalry Squadron, in the Curragh before again being deployed to the Lebanon with the Force Mobile Reserve. Ironically, AN COSANTOIR - COL SEAN O'KEEFFE COL SEAN O'KEEFFE By Tony O'Brien Col Sean O'Keeffe Deputy Military Representative of Ireland to the EU, Brussels Col Sean O'Keeffe on his last day of service (17 Dec 2020),standing at the Cavalry Memorial Garden, Plunkett Barracks, where he started his career as a Cavalry Officer

• Cover