An Cosantóir

An Cosantóir October 2015 www.dfmagazine.ie 36 | I was born in Nenagh, Co Tipperary and in 1948 at 3-years- old I moved to Kent, United Kingdom. I went to school in St Josephs College in Kent, where my mother was a matron at the college. I then went to the Presentation College in Read- ing, berkshire, which was a sister College of St Josephs. At the age of 14, I was introduced to the Air Training Corps (ATC), which was a scheme ran by the Royal Air force (RAf) to get young people interested in enlisting. The training was done once a week with us traveling to different bases like benson in Wallingford where Paratroopers are trained and Abingdon near oxfordshire for camps. We were taught Communications including Morse code - we even got to go up in DHC-1 Chip- munk aircraft. When I finished school in 1962 we moved back home to Nenagh. I still had an interest in the military and my cousin was a member of An Fórsa Cosanta Áitiúil (FCÁ) the forerunner to the Reserve Defence Force. So I decided to join up in Nenagh military bks and I was assigned to A Coy, 14 Inf Bn for recruit training. In 1964 I went to college to study Radio Electronics in Limerick for 4-years, while in college in 1966 I completed my Potential NCos course. When I finished college I got a job in Dublin City with Post and Telephone (P&T), which meant staying in Dublin during the week and then traveling back to Nenagh on the weekends where I paraded with my unit. After about 5-years I was promoted to Sgt and was posted to Sarsfield Bks Limerick as a Signal Sgt. Here I instructed on signals courses and I also looked after sports for the unit, as I was a big sports fan. I got married 1973 and I moved to Swords, Co Dublin in 1974. In the late 70s I changed jobs and started working for Technicon Ireland, who were an American company that made diagnostics medical computers. over the next decade or so I completed Admin and Logistics Course, I then went on to do a Senior NCos Course. During this period I got to train one the first female platoons in the FCÁ, in Kickham Bks, Clonmel. This was a great ground breaking experience for the reserve forces and myself. In 1993 I went to work for a large solicitor company in the Irish International Finan- cial Services Centre (IFSC), where I setup the communications dept. In 2000 I got the chance to fill in for the Battalion Sgt Major, where I got to see the bigger picture of running an FCÁ Bn. In 2005 prior to the new reorg from the FCÁ to the Reserve Defence Force (RDF) I retired from the reserves as a Sgt on age grounds. At that time I was out of work and was completing courses through FÁS, where I got a supervisors post and completed a Workplace Management Diploma with the National College of Ireland (NCI). I completed an IT Course with the National Learning Network for a FETAC Level 5 Certificate. In 2009 I had to complete work experience and I enjoyed my time in the Defence Forces and having an interest in military history, I did my work experience with An Cosantóir, where I helped archive and catalogue the magazine from the first issue in December 1940 up to the cur- rent volume. We now have a database containing all article titles and authors, which is searchable online on IKoN and at www.dfmagazine.ie. We are now cataloguing the Connect Newsletters, working backwards from 2015 to 1997; this database will be made available also. In 2006 I joined the Father James Gilmore branch of the organisation of National Ex-Service- men and Women (oNE). I am currently the secretary of the branch, and Vice Chairman of the oNE Leinster Area Council. I am a true military man at heart, and I'm happy that I got the opportunity to work with some fine soldiers down through the years, and I hope to be able to keep working for these great organisations for the foreseeable future. SEAN SHINNORS FCÁ (RDF) & AN COSANTóIR SgT (RETIRED)

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