An Cosantóir

An Cosantóir September 2017 www.dfmagazine.ie 16 | By CPl lEE COylE PhOTOS ARMN ADAM MuRPhy O n the 20th June 2017, 35 members of 145 Recruit Platoon passed-out in James Stephens Bks, Kilkenny; the latest batch of young soldiers taking up the challenge of becoming proud members of Óglaigh na hÉireann. It was a glorious sunny day as guests assembled on the north end of the barracks square, with the national flag proudly flying alongside. As they took their seats each received a booklet out- lining the day's events. It also included a message from OC 3 Inf Bn, Lt Col Mark Brownen, congratulating the members of 145 Recruit Platoon and welcoming their family and friends to the barracks. The MC, Lt Tobin, welcomed the guests and gave them a brief history of Stephens Bks, providing a great insight into the heritage of the buildings that surrounded them. For those unfamiliar with Stephens Bks, it was built between 1800 and 1803 to a standard plan of the time. The garrison church was added in 1852 and was converted into a sports hall after the takeover by the Free State Army in 1922. In 1969 it was given its current name in honour of James Stephens, the founder of the Fenians. Lt Tobin also described some of the history of 3 Inf Bn, giving the guests a sense of pride in the legacy and tradi- tions their siblings and relations would be part of in the Defence Forces. It is the oldest continuously serving battal- ion in the Defence Forces, having been established in 1923. The true origin of the 3 Inf Bn nickname 'the Bloods' is not quite clear. It may be due to the scarlet colour in the battalion crest or from the use of 'ox-blood' polish that they used on the brown leather shoes worn by all ranks until the 1960s, but more than likely the name came from a quirk of a former CO, Lt Col Con John Burke, who had the markers and bollards that delineated the square and grass sur- rounds in the battalion's former home in Connolly Barracks in the Curragh Camp coloured red. The motto of the 3 Inf Bn is 'Dílis go Brágh' meaning 'Loyal Forever'. The unit mascot, a two-year- old Irish wolfhound called Fionn, was also on parade with the seven NCOs and 35 recruits GOC 1 Bde, Brig Gen Patrick Flynn, took the parade and after he received his military honours, he inspected the recruit platoon along with the platoon commander, Lt Shane Flood. After Brig Gen Flynn's inspection, three members of the platoon stepped up to the po- dium. Rec Byrne read out the oath they had taken on enlistment; Rec Monaghan read out the DF Dignity Charter; and Rec Keating read out the Values of the DF. It was then time for the recruits to receive their certificate of achieve- ment; marching forward in ranks to receive their cert from Brig Gen Flynn. Next came the presentation of the award for Best Shot, which went to Pte Oisín Roche; the James Stephens award (presented to the recruit who contributed most to the esprit de corps, camaraderie, enthusiasm and devotion to duty amongst the group), which went to Pte Stephen Glacken; and, finally, the Best Recruit award, which went to Pte Mark Sweeney. A very impressive foot and arms drill display was then carried out by the platoon, which demonstrated the quality of instruction and leadership they had received during their training. Finally, before the new two-star privates fell-out to join their families, Brig Gen Flynn addressed those in attendance, saying how much of an honour it was to have family members and guests of the platoon present. He also congratulated the platoon on reaching this significant milestone and acknowledged how much pride there is in passing-out as a two-star private. He also wished them well in the rest of their training and military careers. DF gets a 'Bloods' T r a n s f u s i o n

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