An Cosantóir

An Cosantóir Dec 2016 / Jan 2017 www.dfmagazine.ie 28 | By COMDT STEPHEN MAC EOIN, OIC MILITARY ARCHIVES & COMDT LAR JOYE, RDF, SOLDIERS & CHIEFS EXHIBITION, NATIONAL MUSEUM OF IRELAND B y any standards 2016 has been a special and momen- tous year for the Defence Forces (Óglaigh na hÉire- ann). In addition to ongoing training, administration and operations, at home and abroad, our soldiers, sailors and aircrew played a pivotal role in assuring the success of the State's programme to mark the centenary of the 1916 Easter Rising. That event 100 years ago, regarded as crucial in the birth of modern Ireland, led to a sea-change in public opinion and political support for independence over Home Rule and set in motion a chain of events that would eventually lead to the War of Independence and the achievement of an Irish Free State. The Defence Forces traces its origins back to that revolu- tionary period and the foundation of the Irish Volunteers (Óglaigh na hÉireann) in November 1913. The Volunteers, who in 1914 included some 200,000 personnel, were the prototype Irish Army, pledged in open service to the people of Ireland, and played a critical role in the Rising, the War of Independence, and the genesis of what would become the National Army. For a variety of reasons, most of the Volunteers who joined before the onset of the First World War served in the British Army and many went on to make a significant contribution to the Irish Republican Army during the War of Independence, and also to the ranks of the new Army post-Independence. Since the foundation of the State, Óglaigh na hÉireann has served the people of Ireland, providing the security that is the bedrock of any democratic state and playing no small role in ensuring the relatively smooth transition to peacetime, post-Civil War, following nearly a decade of political and military unrest. Óglaigh na hÉireann mounted a small but credible defence of Ireland during the Emergency, marshalling meagre resources to train and equip some 140,000 personnel, including an Air Corps and fledgling Naval Service. Throughout the post-war internal-security threat and the period of the Troubles, both permanent and reserve forces played a crucial role and since 1958 Irish soldiers, sailors and aircrew have distinguished themselves over- seas under the banner of the United Nations. the 1916 centenary Commemorative Medal The Easter Parade passing by the GPO on O'Connell St, Easter Sunday 2016. Cadet Class at the State Commemoration Ceremony in Arbour Hill, 24th April 2016.

• Cover