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“least we forget” - Have we forgotten?

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  • “least we forget” - Have we forgotten?

    I didn’t want to egress on lefty’s thread on Unit Traditions and History, but I think this deserves a thread of its own:

    Do you think since 1922 we have lost in traditions and military history?

    Now firstly admittedly we are a new country, the Republic is not even 100 years old yet!! Any we are a new Army/Defence Force separate from the BA.
    But what of the traditions of Barracks, garrisons, ordinary soldiers, etc, that has been lost?

    My point is also driven toward the effective airbrushing from history of the tradition of the Irish Soldier. We as a nation still seem to suffer from a stigma from being a dominion/colony of the British Empire and as such have tended to assign anything to do with the Empire to a forgotten history.

    Only recently have we become mature enough to acknowledge the sacrifice of Irish soldiers in the First World War , with the joint dedication of the Messines Peace Tower. But even at this the old title of “least we forget” does not seem to ring true, as we as a nation have forgotten not only these men, but the men of many a British war, who soldiered not “For King and Country”, but for their livelihood and to escape the poverty of Ireland.
    "Dwight D. Eisenhower: The best morale exists when you never hear the word mentioned. When you hear it it's usually lousy.

  • #2
    I think these traditions would have been more easily held on to if those men had been fighting for Ireland rather than for Empire, like if the roles were reversed and we were the hegemon*. Despite that, we should remember the traditions of the Irish units in the British Army. The Indian Army still does to an extent.

    Our own units do not have any sense of history as they are only a number. What if they had names, like the Dublin Guards of the Civil War? (Incidentally, is there any unit which woiuld be the descendent of that unit around today?)

    [*Hegemony.The predominant influence, as of a state, region, or group, over another or others. MOD]
    "Gentlemen, you can’t fight in here...this is the War Room!"

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    • #3
      One of the main problems here is that any units that have seen action have been adhoc units which are disbanded after they return to Ireland.

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      • #4
        Further to my last contribution which has not been posted yet by the mods it should be remembered that before UN service saved the Irish Army ,soldering was seen as a profession of last resort.I think in fact that there was a practice among the judiciary of giving minor criminals a choice of either going to England or joining the army.

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