Defence Forces Review 2016

Defence Forces Review Defence Forces 2016 Defence Forces Review 2016 Pantone 1545c Pantone 125c Pantone 120c Pantone 468c DF_Special_Brown Pantone 1545c Pantone 2965c Pantone Pantone 5743c Cool Grey 11c Vol 13 Vol Printed by the Defence Forces Printing Press Jn14102 / Sep 2016/ 2300 Defence Forces Review 2016 ISSN 1649 - 7066 Published for the Military Authorities by the Public Relations Branch at the Chief of Staff’s Division, and printed at the Defence Forces Printing Press, Infirmary Road, Dublin 7. © Copyright in accordance with Section 56 of the Copyright Act, 1963, Section 7 of the University of Limerick Act, 1989 and Section 6 of the Dublin University Act, 1989. The material contained in these articles are the views of the authors and do not purport to represent the official views of the Defence Forces. DEFENCE FORCES REVIEW 2016 PREFACE “By academic freedom I understand the right to search for truth and to publish and teach what one holds to be true. This right implies also a duty: one must not conceal any part of what one has recognized to be true. It is evident that any restriction on academic freedom acts in such a way as to hamper the dissemination of knowledge among the people and thereby impedes national judgment and action”. Albert Einstein As Officer in Charge of Defence Forces Public Relations Branch, it gives me great pleasure to be involved in the publication of the Defence Forces Review for 2016. This year’s ‘Review’ continues the tradition of past editions in providing a focus for intellectual debate within the wider Defence Community on matters of professional interest. This issue contains a wide variety of subject matter for the reader to digest. In this year of centenary commemoration it is appropriate that a number of submissions provide a focus on the past, balanced with subject material that takes a critical look at current issues of interest across a wide variety of topics. The diversity of topics offered for readership consideration is testament of the complex social, military and political environment in which the Defence Forces exists. I wish to commend the Colonel David Dignam who, despite his primary responsibilities, assumed the editorial challenge with customary dedication, rigour and enthusiasm. The proactive engagement of his fellow editors, Prof Eunan O’Halpin and Dr Ian Speller is also much appreciated by the Defence Forces. Further, the efforts of the staff of the Defence Forces Printing Press and the staff of the Defence Forces Information Office for their assistance in publishing the document is worthy of mention. Finally, many thanks to all our contributors without whose commitment and labours the production and publication of this ‘Review’ would not be possible. Further copies of the Review are available from the Defence Forces Public Relations Branch at [email protected] or online at http://www.military.ie/info-centre/publications/ defence-forces-review. Oliver Dwyer Lt Col OiC Defence Forces Public Relations Branch EDITOR’S NOTE 2016 has been a very important year for Ireland and its Defence Forces, Óglaigh na hÉireann. The commemoration of the events of 1916 and their positioning within the wider context of Ireland’s engagement in the Great War have brought into focus the journey that Ireland and its people have taken since Easter 1916. This volume, the thirteenth in the Defence Forces Review series, reflects just some of the seminal events that have shaped modern Ireland and its Defence Forces. In that regard, this volume differs from previous editions of the Defence Forces Review in that it includes articles to be presented at the formal launching of this years Review in Cathal Brugha Barracks on 19 November 2016. This presentation is designed to contribute to the process of national reflection currently in progress as we commemorate the centenary of the 1916 Easter Rising and subsequent events that shaped modern Ireland. The aim of this year’s Review is therefore to explore particular aspects of the history of Ireland over the past century, with a particular focus on military matters, and also to examine some of the challenges facing the Defence Forces today. In support of this the Defence Forces worked in partnership with the Centre for Military History and Strategic Studies at Maynooth University and the Trinity College Dublin Centre for Contemporary Irish History to produce this volume and to arrange for the public presentation of the papers at its formal launch. In response to an open ‘call for papers’ the editors received a variety of proposals from serving and retired Defence Forces personnel, civilian academics and others with an interest in the topic. Unfortunately it was not possible to cater for all proposals within this volume. It is reflective of the lively interest in the subject, and also the richness of the topic, that so many good papers were proposed. Those papers that have been published here were chosen because of the quality and originality of the research, the relevance of the subject matter and, of course, because they are extremely interesting and informative. The intention was to maintain a balance between historical works and those that focus on very contemporary issues. It will become apparent to any reader that some of the challenges facing the soldier or diplomat today have a resonance in those faced by their predecessors over the course of the last century. It is fitting that the first chapter, by Commandant Steve MacEoin, explores history, memory and commemoration during the decade of centenaries and identifies the challenges facing archivists as they seek to support and enable a broad range of activities. That Military Archives have an important role to play in this is firmly established. There then follow a number of chapters with an historical focus and, perhaps inevitably, a number of these look at the ‘revolutionary’ period and its aftermath. Professor Tom Bartlett’s chapter sets the experience of the Volunteers within the context of previous Volunteer movements and rebellions. Applying strategic theory to the history of the War of Independence, Professor Tim Hoyt argues that the relative success of the IRA in the period through to 1921 represented an example of successful military innovation, albeit one enabled by changing political circumstances in Britain as well as by activity in Ireland. Following this Commandant Padraic Kennedy charts the changing role, nature and composition of GHQ from the time of the Irish Volunteers through the IRA in the War of Independence to the National Army in the Civil War. Tom Tormey then examines the split in the IRA in Dublin in 1922 and the foundation of the National Army, using a range of archival sources to evaluate the role of factors such as ideology and personal loyalty that helped to determine which side the Volunteers chose. Commandant Lar Joye, a member of the Army Reserve and curator of the ‘Soldiers and Chief’ exhibition at the National Museum, examines Irish military involvement on a broader scale in the period 1914-16, considering the role that Irish men played in a number of different armies, including those of Australia, Austria, Britain, Canada, France and Germany, noting, also, the often forgotten story of the Irish sailor in the First World War. As any modern soldier will appreciate, it is impossible to isolate military activity from the political and legal context. Colonel Michael Campion examines and explains the legal tangle associated with the 1916 Court Martial Trials while, in the following chapter Lt Colonel Jerry Lane addresses the response of the Government to the extreme challenges of the Civil War in 1922-23, including the introduction of the Emergency Power Resolution, the role of Military Courts and Committees and other special measures that facilitated victory, albeit at a cost. It has often been suggested that the clandestine activities of SOE in the Second World War were heavily influenced by the lessons that British officers had learned from their experience in Ireland during the War of Independence, an idea particularly associated with the historian M.R.D. Foot. Mark Seaman examines Foot’s argument and finds that, on the basis of the available evidence, it is very hard to substantiate the claim that the organisation’s concept of clandestine warfare was influenced by the IRA campaign. He concludes that, more likely, experience in Ireland was just one of a rather broad range of factors that informed British policy. The period after the Civil War is addressed by Commandant Billy Campbell (Retd.) who examines the sometimes difficult relationship between Government and Army in the 1920s, explaining the subordination of the military to civilian control that we now take for granted but that is elsewhere so often difficult to achieve. Also focusing on the 1920s, Colonel Tom Hodson (Retd.) examines the origins of the Military College and analyses the various twists and turns that led to its establishment in 1930. Elsewhere Dr Aoife Bhreatnach explores the changing nature of Irish garrison towns and analyses the impact which the presence of those in uniform has had on Irish life in these localities. The chapter provides insight into the way in which militaries can have an impact on the social, cultural and political life of the nation beyond that implied by their primary role. Addressing more recent history, chapters by Dr Michael Kennedy and Dr James McCafferty explore political, diplomatic and military aspects of Ireland’s involvement in the UN mission in Congo in the 1960s. Dr Kennedy examines Ireland’s experience dealing with the UN secretariat during the Congo Crisis, while Dr McCafferty, a veteran of the UN operation, focuses on the experience of the Irish Army in the Congo from 1960- 64, suggesting that the Army’s experience there provided the foundation for success in subsequent peacekeeping operations.

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