An Cosantóir

www.military.ie the defence forces magazine | 25 l/sEa gavin MurPHy, cork unit, nsr "Living in Carrigaline and spending my summers in my grandpar- ents in Passage West and Crosshaven, I grew up hearing the stories of ancestors who spent their lives on the water be it fishing, fight- ing or defending. The threat of invasion during the Emergency, led to the recognition of the necessity for Ireland to have its own navy to protect our neutrality. As a result, by 1943 over a thousand men, including some of my relatives, had flocked to join the second line naval volunteer reserve, known as the Maritime Inscription. This became the foundation for what is now a permanent and integral component of the Defence Forces, the naval Service Reserve. "Joining the nSR in 2014, I was part of the first recruit class inducted after a long embargo on recruitment and promotions within the organisa- tion. As a result, we were in the spotlight and we were reminded daily of the importance of uphold- ing the standards that were expected of us. "Growing up with low self-esteem and with a lack of confidence that continued into my teenage years, exposure to the military way of life and upholding these standards was quite daunting for me. However, I found my worries were shared by the rest of my class and we soon became very close. The nature of our training also put my worries at bay. I also soon found that the skills and confidence I was gaining were helping in my civilian career as well. "In August of last year, six of us completed the Pot nCos course in the naval Base: two from the Limerick unit, one from the Dublin unit, and three from Cork, including myself. "This course was designed to not only promote the traits and responsibilities of an instructor but for personnel to find these skills and qualities within them- selves and build on them. The intensive programme included modules in methods of instruction, military law, conflict management, learning difficulties and the duties of an nCo, combined with practical assessments such as the personal leadership exercise (PLX). "We were also tasked to produce a document to aid personnel on operation Sophia, currently active in the Mediterranean, with the intention of providing informa- tion on assets, resources and facili- ties relevant to maritime operations in the area. Secondly, the document acts as an up to date, amendable, aid to critical decision making based on real time situation/geopolitical climate/environment, etc, for naval Service personnel. "our Pot nCo course hopes to play its part in helping the organi- sation's senior nCos and officers to continue to drive the nSR forward through recruitment, training, extending our capabilities and re-establishing the strong, inher- ited ideals of volunteering that this country and its organisations are renowned for. "Personally, I hope to aid the nSR to continue the great maritime traditions set before us by An Slua Muirí and the Maritime Inscription, while supporting the naval Service at sea and ashore." l/sEa Evan toBin, liMErick unit, nsr "Having spent most of my summers as a child sailing and seeing the nSR operating on the Shannon estuary, I had a great awareness of the opportunities available and I enlisted 10 years ago as soon as I was old enough. "Since then I have been on numerous patrols onboard LÉ Eithne and LÉ Emer off the Irish coast and have travelled to France, nor- way and Germany on both vessels. "After completing the Pot nCos course I was promoted to the rank of leading seaman, and I am currently near completion of the Specialised Instructors course, level 2. "Military life has been excellent in providing me with discipline and skills that I have been able to utilise in my civilian life as an engineer, working in tight and ever-changing situations during service/commissioning and providing training seminars to end users of our equipment in the biopharmaceutical/food and beverage industries. "I am looking forward in the coming years to being in a position to train and develop our new recruits; getting the best out of them and ensuring they will be an excellent addition to the crew of any naval Service vessel they may serve on, just as my training nCos and officers have done for me in the past." L/S Henry Mooney, L/S Gavin Murphy and L/S Evan Tobin are pictured making a presentation to Capt NS Brian Fitzgerald. Photo: Lt Cdr NSR Mick Relihan, OC Cork Unit, NSR

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