An Cosantóir

An Cosantóir May 2017 www.dfmagazine.ie 38 | Shane Byrne 1 armd Cav Sqn Trooper by SGT WAyNE FITzGERALD PhotoS by ARMN ADAM MURPHy S hane grew up in Stratford-on-Slaney, near the Glen of Imaal in Co Wicklow. After doing his leaving cert in baltinglass in 2009 he worked as a green keeper on Rathsallagh golf course and also, through FÁS, gained his C (truck) and EC (articulated truck) licenses. Shane played rugby with Carlow RFC and football with Stratford Grangecon GAA, where he won titles at under-16 and senior. Shane enlisted with the Defence Forces two days after his 21st birthday, and joined 104 Recruit Troop in 1 Armd Cav Sqn with 39 other hopeful recruits. (This was the recruit class whose experience was made into RTÉ's documentary, Recruits, which was broadcast in August and September 2015 to much acclaim.) "I have no other family members who served with the Defence Forces," he says, "but joining up was just something I wanted to do. For me, saying goodbye to my family was hard and daunting – I was going into the unknown. "At the start of recruit training it was kind of weird getting to know everyone but now we are really close. We all went through the same training and it was easy to make friends. I have made some really great friends; including Troopers Dunne and Kinsella, who I work with now." After training, Shane was one of 24 of his recruit troop posted to 1 Cn Cois, in Galway. For Shane this meant a three-hour drive back and forth when not on duty and at weekends. However, after three months serving in the West of Ireland he was successful in get- ting a transfer back to 1 ACS in the Curragh. In his first year after completing his three-star train- ing Shane has completed a five-week recce course and also completed the prelims for the ARW. "The recce course was hard," he says, "with long hours spent on the ground but it is a requirement for 1 ACS and overseas service. I really enjoyed the survival phase; it was great. "I'd also like to go 'over the wall' and complete the ARW SOFQ course, but I felt I wasn't ready this year." Shane also completed basic-, transit-, and truck- driving courses. "I hope to learn to drive the armour and complete a gunnery course," he says. "Then, hopefully I will qualify later this year for overseas service." At 23, Shane has now completed two-and-a-half years in the Defence Forces, carrying out many opera- tional duties and completing several training courses in that short time. We'll leave the last word to the man himself: "I find the Defence Forces a great career and I'm enjoying life back in the Curragh, where I think there are many op- portunities to develop my career."

• Cover