An Cosantóir

48 Time, and our perception of it: The centenary celebrations and commemorations first loomed into view over the horizon in 2006, when it was decided to revive the Easter Rising commemorations on O'Connell Street, which had been discontinued since the early 1970's, due to political sensitivities during the Troubles. Thereafter, we as a nation faced into the Decade of Centenaries, which the then-Taoiseach first spoke of in the early part of the last decade. This began for us as an organisation with the centenary commemoration of the foundation of the Irish Volunteers, in November 1913, and is now drawing to a close, with commemorations in connection with the latter part of the Civil War. These past sixteen years have therefore given an insight into how the passage of time, over the course of that most tumultuous stage of the history of the new country, would have gone for those who lived it. We, who have commemorated those milestones from the foundation of our organisation, through its part in the fight for our freedom to the securing of the fledgling state's future and permanent establishment of its democracy, now have a lived experience of this passing as part of our lives. Young soldiers who celebrated the foundation of the Volunteers in 2013, having joined the organisation in the first decade of the millennium, have gone on, perhaps as junior NCOs, to march down O'Connell Street in that massive ceremonial occasion in Easter 2016, or perhaps visited a school to carry the national flag and its significance to the children there. Now, maybe having HANDOVER OF CATHAL BRUGHA BARRACKS By Comdt Donal Mitchell Photos by Airman Gibney advanced further in their careers, they have commemorated the handover of their barracks a century ago, to the army they now serve. A long stint in the career of a young soldier; a brief time in the life of a young country. For its centenary year, Cathal Brugha Barracks hosted three significant commemorations directly connected with the barracks itself. First, on 17 May, a detachment of 100 soldiers of 7 Inf Bn, the current major unit occupying the barracks, marched proudly through Rathmines and in the Main Gate in commemoration of our predecessors. It was exactly 100 years to the day after the first Irish soldiers, under the command of Comdt Paddy O'Daly, marched in to what was then Portobello Bks and Comdt Gen Tom Ennis took possession from Maj Clarke of the Worcestershire Regt. In a mildly amusing twist of fate, the UKAF soccer 7 Inf Bn marching through the gates of Cathal Brugha Bks Minister for Defence Simon Coveney laying a wreath

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