An Cosantóir

14 | Knights of by Wesley Bourke photos by Cpl Neville Coughlan T his summer we met up with one of the 'coolest' clubs in the Defence Forces, the Green Knights Military Motorcycle Association. The association brings offroad and road bikers together through education, safety, knowledge, and the shared joy of riding. The Green Knights are an International motorbike organisation and are part of the International Knights of the Round Table, which is made up of several uniformed motorbike associations. The Green Knights are for military personnel, the Red Knights for fire-fighters, the Blue Knights for law enforcement personnel, and the White Knights for the medical profession. The Green Knights are organised in chapters and the Defence Forces' riders come together as Chapter 59. The association is open to all members of the Defence Forces, permanent and reserve, serving and retired personnel. An Cosantóir October 2013 www.dfmagazine.ie These are no Hell's Angels or Sons of Anarchy but simply guys and girls whose hobby involves two-wheeled machines. All you have to do is talk to these guys to see just how passionate they are. You don't have to be in any specific corps to be a member of the Green Knights and members come from all over the Defence Forces. The president is Ollie Barbour OC PSS and John Enright from the Cavalry School is the vice-president. Each area (North, South, East and West) has a road captain who is responsible for organising events in their area and are also available to help new members to join up. Throughout the year each road captain organises events for all the Chapter's Knights to attend, such as road tours or safety days. At least once a year a group of Knights travel abroad on tour, either meeting up with other Knights from the Round Table or heading off on their own. Over the years they've been all over Europe, from Germany to Portugal, from Scotland to Italy. Come to think of it, riding a motorbike through French vineyards or Alpine valleys doesn't exactly sound like a bad way to spend a summer's vacation. We all know from the Grand Prix or the off-road, dirt-track competitions that motorbikes can be fast, powerful, and extreme. They can also be dangerous in the hands of an amateur. Military rank doesn't come into the association at all. Thomas O'Connell (Ord GP 2 Bde) told us that the aim of the group is to promote safe motorbike riding within the Defence Forces while at the same time bringing together people who have an enthusiasm for motorbikes. The more experienced guys mentor the new members and when on the road the more experienced riders will take the lead. As the Green Knights' ride director, Peter Cox (MP and motorbike instructor), is responsible for the safety of all the riders. Since he is an instructor with the MP Corps he is well in tune with road safety and safe-riding techniques. He pointed out: "You will

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