An Cosantóir

An Cosantóir Dec 2016 / Jan 2017 www.dfmagazine.ie 34 | By SGT WAYNE FITzGERALD I n 1997 members of 27 Inf Bn were fundraising for Capt Bradley's child who was ill with leukaemia. they had raised nearly £700 punts when Pte Peter McGuinness, Sp Coy, offered to walk from Castleblaney to Dundalk to raise the money up to £1,000. Pte Mc- Guinness recalls: "My CO rang Capt Bradley to say I was on the way over. A while later Capt Bradley rang to say 'He's taking his time', to which the CO replied – 'Oh, he's walking over!'" In 2016, at 50 years of age and completing 30 years service Peter wanted to do it again, plus he wanted to show some of his old comrades and those currently serving the spirit and endurance he still had. Conse- quently, on Friday 15th July he walked the old Support Company pennant back from Dundalk to Castleblaney. At the end of his feat of endurance Pte McGuinness said: "I have marched here to Castleblaney today from Aiken Barracks, Dundalk. With me I carried the original Support Company, 27 Infantry Battalion, pennant. This march of endurance I would call 'the spirit of Castleblaney'. The pennant signifies the comradeship, the strength, the discipline, character and the command that all combined to give us a unit to be proud of. "On my march over here, I remembered all of my com- rades that I served with here in Camp Muckno; those who are now retired and those who have passed on. As this pennant is now being replaced with a new one, I could not let this occasion pass by without doing something memorable to honour its decommissioning. The pennant now shows age with wear. As do the soldiers, like myself, with the passing of the years. But this in turn makes way for the new life which is being pumped into the existing Support Company in Aiken Barracks. On top of this pen- nant you also see a spear head; it signifies the direction of the Company as spears are always used in a forward position. While Camp Muckno was inhabited by Support Company back in the hard times, the men who served here continually pushed forward in a variety of hardships and commitments. "In doing their service they gave this country a better life and provided stability. I remember you today, men of Support Company, 27 Infantry Battalion. Let us always remember our dear friends and comrades who have gone before us, for they too have marked their place in our military history. May we never forget them, thank you." Post script: The original pennant that Peter carried with him is now displayed in the museum in Dundalk. On November 7th, to celebrate complet- ing 31 years service, Peter marched from Aiken Bks, to his parents' grave in Drogheda and then on to his old home in Trinity Gardens that he left to join the Defence Forces on November 7th 1985. Peter said: "It was a great day, full of emotions and many memories, and a nice way to complete my 31 years' service." The Spirit of Castleblaney gang with Sp Coy pennant 2016 Pennant on memorial stone in Castleblaney Peter outside his old home in Drogheda 2016

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