An Cosantóir

An Cosantóir July/August 2014 www.dfmagazine.ie 26 | By CPL PAuL MILLAR PhOTOS By A/B DAVy JONES K ilworth was the location for the Defence Forces Annual Small Arms (SA) Competition which ran from 24th to 27th May. The event was split into two distinct halves for both RDF and PDF participants, with the RDF firing on the weekend and the PDF competing on the Monday and Tuesday. units fired on competition tables for the pistol, Steyr, GPMG as well as the spectator friendly falling plates. The 12 Inf Bn RDF rifle team stormed away from their competitors with a total of 869, a score that beat the third placed PDF team this year. The star of that team was Pte Garvey, with 171, again a respectable score that was near the joint top PDF scores of 174 from Sgt Pilkington and Pte McLoughlin, also of the 12 Inf Bn. Second in both the pistol and GPMG, the 12 Inf Bn were the most consistent of all RDF units. The Falling Plates Competition was full of drama again with a number of re-runs that built up the tension for those that had to sprint forward. The 2 Arty Regt took the trophy home for that one, displaying as RSM Noel O'Callaghan later said, "all the leadership, resilience, teamwork and professionalism of Gnr Magee of Ballinamuck in 1798." The big story of the SA Competition this year was the perfor- mance of the 27 Inf Bn. They cleared up on the team trophies with highly consistent team scores throughout the competi- tion and did not just rely on a few talented shooters to carry the teams. Carrying on from their success with the An Co- santóir 10km Block win in 2012, the 2013 Recce Concentration win and subsequent great placing at the International Cambri- an Patrol, they turned their gaze to this years SA Competition. They set out at the beginning of the year with the clear objective of being competitive in every competition and BSM Joe Murray was a constant presence at the range. Speaking to members of the 27 Inf Bn, they praised the commitment of the BSM who was the driving force behind all the teams. Cpl Patrick Sheehy who won the individual GPMG competition as well as taking gold with the team said, "He was over the moon," at re- ceiving the coveted All-Army Marksman Badge with an individu- al score of 206 due in no small way to the expert coaching from Sgt Joe Mooney who also coached the rifle team to success. The pistol team members who were mere novices at this level were similarly delighted at having beaten the ARW to the post with a great performance from Cpl McGeough, Cpl Woods, Pte Fitzpat- rick and Pte McQuaid, with an outstanding score of 319 expertly coached by Sgt Adam Gallagher. For the 27 Inf Bn, the smell of cordite was the smell of success. Reflecting afterwards BSM Joe Murray said, "this was not just about the competitors who had the privilege and honour of representing the 27 Inf Bn but was a unit effort and is a true reflection of the leadership, pride and professionalism of the men and women of the 27 Inf Bn. " For a complete list of scores and rankings from this years DF Small Arms Competition visit the DJ7 webpage on the intranet. DF Small Arms Competition The smell of success 27 Inf Bn Winners

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