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What do you think of Irish people joining the BA?

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  • #16
    Originally posted by Dazzler View Post
    Ya but, they have to wear those sh1tty bearskins and Do that ceremonial shite!!!! That wouldn't be fun at all!!!!
    exactly why would you wanna hang around babysitting the queen and putting on a show for, why not be in the dirt with the rir in afghan .. .
    Reservists are too ignorant to drop out of anthing. Its a Known Fact.

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    • #17
      Originally posted by Bagger63 View Post
      exactly why would you wanna hang around babysitting the queen and putting on a show for, why not be in the dirt with the rir in afghan .. .
      The Irish Guards, went to A'stan as well didn't they??? Or was that iraq??? Can't remember but still no contest. Royal Marines is where my plan will take me, If I actually get my ass in gear and start running again!!!
      I probably am wrong, sorry about that!!!

      Please PM me to correct me.

      But, not if I state an opinion, only if I state something as truth!!!

      I have bad opinions but I stick by them!!!

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      • #18
        Royal Marine Commandos?

        hardcore.. hardcore.. too much for me.


        I'd probably go for the RAF Regiment or the Irish Guards as described above, admirable history. More PC for me.

        RAF Regiment is a bitch to get into though, scot friend of mine, big bastard of a man, has a degree in international relations, speaks 3 languages and they still wouldn't take him, sandhurst wouldn't take him either full stop which is a shame, very intelligent man and damn fit. Ended up joining the MP's as enlisted.

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        • #19
          As Dev alluded to above, another reason why another portion of BA recruits
          from Ireland signed up for service in the trenches was the promise of
          Home Rule, as plugged by John Redmond.

          At least this UUP member seems to have a broader handle on the
          situation...

          Ulster Unionist councillor Michael Copeland, who has a particular interest
          in military history, said he agreed with Mr Donaldson that there were a wide
          variety of reasons why Irish people joined the British army, and that it could
          not be solely ascribed to poverty
          "Well, stone me! We've had cocaine, bribery and Arsenal scoring two goals at home. But just when you thought there were truly no surprises left in football, Vinnie Jones turns out to be an international player!" (Jimmy Greaves)!"

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          • #20
            Originally posted by Komsomol View Post
            RAF Regiment is a bitch to get into though, scot friend of mine, big bastard of a man, has a degree in international relations, speaks 3 languages and they still wouldn't take him.
            Very odd considering no formal qualifications are required. Then again if he is fluent in foreign languages and especially if he can speak and read the likes of Arabic, Farsi, Pashto then the Intelligence Corps no doubt would be interested.
            Last edited by pmtts; 9 January 2009, 14:31.

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            • #21
              Originally posted by pmtts View Post
              Very odd considering no formal qualifications are required. Then again if he is fluent in foreign languages and especially if he can speak and read the likes of Arabic, Farsi, Pashto then the Intelligence Corps no doubt would be interested.
              Just what I thought. Maybe " The Firm " has designs on signing this guy up... !!!
              "Well, stone me! We've had cocaine, bribery and Arsenal scoring two goals at home. But just when you thought there were truly no surprises left in football, Vinnie Jones turns out to be an international player!" (Jimmy Greaves)!"

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              • #22
                Not quite middle eastern languages, malaysian as he grew up there, his parents worked in malaysia for quite some time. Other languages are french and english :P (not quite 3 technically)

                Pretty sure the reasons the RAF regiment wouldn't take him is because they had no spaces and were about to be deployed (cant see that as a valid reason though to be honest), his sponsor convinced him to go for the MP's in the end after sandhurst had a few concerns about his psycological history, he's a bit of a nutter, rough childhood in malaysia.

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                • #23
                  In 1914, the vast majority of the Irish Volunteers followed John Redmond's call formed the National Volunteers and joined the British Army
                  .

                  Although over 170,000 volunteers followed Redmond only 25,000 joined the army. But many non-volunteers joined aswell which were hard to keep count of.....

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                  • #24
                    It is true a lot OF Irish joined the BA because of poverty , cannon fodder to a large extent. There was and still a tradition of some anglo/irish families, if we can use that term who still see Britain as the mother country but they tend to want to join as officers ..
                    There was agood storey of Patrick Campbell, Lord soomething or other, who was born in Ireland, telling his mother in Cork that he had joined the Navy in 1940,, She asked when he was going to Plymouth. she was most upset that he actually went to Cork..
                    I have a number of friends who joined the BA over the last 30 years, Of them, two joined because of poverty, one for adventure, one because he was a bit of a West Brit and another because his Dad had been in the BA aNd joined tHe same Regt. Another option join the Foreign Legion..

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                    • #25
                      The poll options are a bit extreme! I don't approve of them but I certainly don't think they should "never come home"!
                      "Why, it appears that we appointed all of our worst generals to command the armies and we appointed all of our best generals to edit the newspapers. I mean, I found by reading a newspaper that these editor generals saw all of the defects plainly from the start but didn't tell me until it was too late. I'm willing to yield my place to these best generals and I'll do my best for the cause by editing a newspaper"
                      Gen. Robert E. Lee

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                      • #26
                        You can't sit on the fence!


                        Catch-22 says they have a right to do anything we can't stop them from doing.

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                        • #27
                          Originally posted by the drummie View Post
                          ok .........firstly as allready mentioned this has been happening for years and years ! from the time of .............Cromwell ...through the 17 and 1800s when over 45% of the British Army were Irishmen , even through the 70s and 80s when British -Irish relations were at an all time low Guys from all over Ireland including the falls and the Bog side joined the British Army. One point though ..................as allready mentioned somebody said join the Royal Irish . well i would just like to say that there is another Irish regiment that probably the most Irish (in culture and tradition ) of all and that is the Irish Guards !
                          It is a common fact in the Army that the Royal Irish Regiment were and still are ""loyalist-Unionist " in its Regimental culture.This may seem strange to some who read this and asume that it would be anyway being in the BA . However as an Irish Regiment they were formed as a anti catholic Regiment for William III and fought at the battle of the Boyne sometime that is never forgotten .
                          The Irish Guards on the other hand were formed by Queen Victoria in 1900 in honour of the bravery of Irishmen in the Boar war .........simple you may say ..............................................NO!! !! They take some of their tradition from the Irish regiment of Foot Guards formed 1662 and fought for King James at the Boyne then going into exile in France with Sarsfield ...............fighting at fontenoy and beating their old brother Regiments in the Guards ,something that is also not forgotten ! (check out Kiplings poem the Irish Guards )
                          The Irish Guards are unique in many ways in the BA .they are the only Regiment to have their Colours blessed by the Catholic Bishop , they have church parade on tuesdays being given allways by a Cathloic preist which is uniquely posted to the Regiment .
                          Many Rebel tunes are used by the regiment as company marches and pipers and drummers tunes . in summary if you want to join a truely Irish Regiment in the British Army you might as well join the best !

                          check out
                          I voted on the ' lets move on option '. Then I read The Drummies post. So before I start typing, I'm sorry.

                          Why would an Irishman want to join a regiment in the British Army because it can claim some 300 year old lineage to fighting for King James at the Boyne ?

                          You say that the Royal Irish Regiment (I assume you mean the Regiments to which they trace their lineage) was formed as an 'anti-catholic' regiment to fight at the Boyne, and that is ' never forgotten '. Never forgotten by who , potential Irish Catholic recruits to the British Army ? Dozens of Irish Catholic recruits have done, and continue to serve in the Royal Irish, with no problems. In fact, many have done very, very well for themselves.

                          I assume that you have served in, or are serving in the 'Micks', so please correct me if I am wrong in what I am about to say... As far as I am aware (I was never in the Irish Guards, but have a number of friends who were) that the majority of soldiers in that regiment who come from the Island of Ireland, come from the North, and the majority of them are from a Protestant / Unionist background.There was something on the news here recently saying that North Down Borough Council were to give them the freedom of the borough as over 60 soldiers from that area were serving with the Irish Guards.North Down Council area is demographically 80 % Protestant. That said, Irishmen are probably outnumbered now by Englishmen from Liverpool and Manchester, also traditional recruiting areas for the Irish Guards. But, as I say, I'm no expert so I welcome criticism if I am wrong.

                          I can understand why (if you are a former or serving Mick) you would have very justifiable pride in your regiment. But to try and sell it as more attractive prospect to potential recruits because it has a Catholic Padre, Catholic Officers, and because its band plays rebel tunes, is, IMHO, wrong. The British Army is a huge organisation. You can do almost anything in it you want - be a surgeon at one end of the scale, or dig graves with the RLC pioneers at the other. Anyone, Irish Catholic or not, joins the British Army for their own reasons be they, adventure, travel, steady pay, pension, comradeship, or to get away from home and experience different cultures. Or simply to experience what it is like to 'close with the enemy'.

                          I would encourage anyone who is considering joining to firstly go for it, but listen carefully to what is on offer, what you are qualified to do, what you want to do,pay, where any potential regiments are going over the next few years etc, etc and base your judgements on that.
                          'History is a vast early warning system'. Norman Cousins

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                          • #28
                            I'd be interested in hearing from the 6 people who think they should never come home as to why they hold this view....
                            Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent.
                            Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent.
                            Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil?
                            Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God?

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                            • #29
                              Originally posted by johnny no stars View Post
                              I'd be interested in hearing from the 6 people who think they should never come home as to why they hold this view....
                              As would I.

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                              • #30
                                Do mind, wish them the best anyway should have been an option. But that might have drawn people away from the first option.
                                You will never have a quiet world until you knock the patriotism out of the human race

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