| 13
www.military.ie THE DEFENCE FORCES MAGAZINE
BY COMDT HELEN HOSBACK
PHOTOS PROVIDED BY COMDT HELEN HOSBACK
2023 has been a busy year in the DF Info Office (which
comprises the An Cosantóir magazine, Audio Visual Section
and DF Photographer) – this is our sixth An Cosantóir of the
year; our Audio Visual Section produced over 50 videos,
and the DF Photographer attended over 90 events to
record DF ceremonial, sporting, overseas homecomings
and family days.
The An Cosantóir magazine has recently taken on a different
structure – we are delighted to feature pictures submitted
by members of the Defence Forces in our On Parade section
each month, and we have added in a Sports and Clubs
section with details on the regular sporting events taking
place in the DF. In each edition we have focused on one of
the DF sports in detail, including DF Basketball, DF Diving, DF
GAA in 2023 and we look forward to covering more in 2024.
We are including regular DF Veterans pieces – looking at
various Veterans organisations and activities currently taking
place. At various points during the year the General Staff have
featured in the magazine, to communicate directly with DF
members about various topics including an interview with the
ACOS about the OCSC in the Jul/Aug edition. In addition to
this we have had articles on DF Courses, History and current
missions overseas.
The An Cosantóir magazine continues to be published free,
online (www.military.ie/magazine) but we also publish
3000 hard copies of the magazine, thanks to the Defence
Forces Printing Press. These are distributed to all units and
common areas of the DF, including to RDF units and Veterans
Organisations.
The DF Audio Visual Section has made some brilliant videos
this year – their product hides well the fact that it is actually
quite a small section. We have featured some of the AVS
videos with articles in the online version of the An Cosantóir
magazine, and the rest of their videos are all available
on DF Social Media, or on the DF YouTube Channel at
youtube.com/@TheDefenceForces Highlights of this year
include the overseas homecomings, UNIFIL MRE, the visit
of POTUS to Ireland and the Making of a Monument:
The National Army Centenary Memorial.
The DF Photographer attends a variety of DF Events, and all
photos taken by the DF Photographer can be found on the
DF Flickr page at flickr.com/photos/dfmagazine/albums
A Year in review
2023 in the
DF Info Office
