In case of an emergency we are well equipped internally as domestic threats are minor compared to the extreme internal threat the USA may have internally. As for external emergencies if Ireland was to encounter one well Russia wouldn’t allow the USA to have Ireland and the USA wouldn’t allow the UK to re-occupy what’s independent, while the UK wouldn’t allow Russia to have Ireland so yeah we are basically too much drama everyone will leave us be
Admiral William Brown was an Irish sailor and warrior that became one of my country's most important historical figures, as he played an important role in the independece of my country (Argentina). There were many other rank and file irishmen that fought and won for my country over its history and they have our deepest gratitude and our recognition as brave fighters.
As an Irish man and ex member of the FCA (7th inf bat) I have to say that was a very informative and fun vid , just see'n the FAL brings it all back, THANK YOU :)
that was absolutely fascinating. I'd love you to do similar coverage of other smaller national armies. My own in Australia comes to mind. Hearing how these smaller nations dealt with their military vehicles is very interesting
Mine asked: - What do you want to do, son? - What's the best you got? - Well, you are way too long for a pilot... Special operations/paratroopers? - Yes, please. - Hired!
One of the contributing factors for burying the Churchill up in the Glen was also it's proximity to the public areas of the Glen, and people were climbing on it, getting pictures etc. which was dangerous for obvious reasons :P
Yeah they are but a history, show and tell, interesting tangents and ol' chiefs flair. Its that little bit better :) Oh and the lenght, i like the long ones :D
To be honest, the best tanks they had were the comet tanks.. just unfortunate about the lack of parts and AP shells and the faults with the HE fuses. A Captain by the name of Roger McCorley soon came up with a better idea for the tanks, McCorley had recently finished a course on the operation of the Swedish Bofors PV 1101 90mm Recoilless Rifle, a small number of which were in service with the Irish Military. The rifle could fire a High-Explosive Anti-Tank (HEAT) shells, capable of penetrating up to 380mm (15in) of armor, that's amazing armour piercing capability. The headless coachmen they called it, and it had the recoilless gun attached to it and it worked very well during it's trial runs, There were also plans to introduce another 90mm rifle, or use another Comet to mount an 81mm or 120mm mortar. Unfortunately, funds could not be provided to continue with any of these projects
My manager was a sargent in the FCA back in the day. He fired mortars and loved it he said....right up to the day they had a misfire. He nearly shat himself getting the mortar bomb out of the tube and into the hole for it. He was sorry to give it up.
I was in Dublin March last year, staying in the Conrad Hilton. I saw many of these vehicles parked outside the hotel waiting to go on the Easter rising commemoration parade.
great to hear an Irishman and American vet providing a historical point of view on modern mechanical history. rather than the usual angelified propaganda, that permeates almost 75% of history documentaries and tubes. my brother was a tank commander in the marines , I was 11 hotel in the army :) , I am sure as a mic and a tank commander, you see the humor. my brother is now a lt col. in the air force. I was able to use you as an example , he could actually be a tank commander , despite being '6"5. keep up the great work. as for the steyr its fine in a tank however like the m4 , its a trade on long-range accuracy .. again well done.
One officer I know made the mistake of putting his back pack under the nearest armoured truck to keep it in the shade. Someone got in the other side and drove off. Crunch. You would be amazed how many bits there are in a lap top. This was in the 1990's; the lap tops were expressive and bulky but fitted in an army backpack. I gather it was an armoured ambulance. I'm not sure that counts.
Nick. Thanks for creating another interesting video again delivered in your usual entertaining style. I knew nothing about Irish armoured vehicles before watching this and now know far more. I look forward to your next video
Really interesting video. Great work. I knew and carried the FAL as the FNC1A1 in Canadian service. It'd still be my first choice in a bad neighbourhood.
I was in the Australian army reserves. Recruiting stands were basically just volunteers in uniform with a table in an open space at the mall. At one stage the unit was quite successful at getting female recruits but not males. That produced an imbalance and they were told to stop recruiting. A 60 - 70 % female regiment could not be deployed.
Damn i'm a Dub myself and I'm big into tanks, and I didn't even know Collin's Barracks had a tank even though I've been there about 3-4 times! Any other Irish folk here going tankfest btw? :D Great vid btw Nick! Didn't even know you were in the Irish Army at one stage good stuff! :)
Yup. If one were "that sort of person", one could drive to Las Vegas or into Arizona, and get what one wants, but that wouldn't be prudent.... Not that I would know anything about such a thing. The real bummer is that some regular capacity AK mags I have (legally) owned since 1999, are now illegal, and I had to send em out of state.
I mean, granted, he is a serving Officer in the US Army, so probably wouldn't publicly advocate for or condone breaking the law... but who is to say. :)
I would like to remain out of jail. That sort of thing tends to look badly upon the folks who do my security clearances, and I need the security clearance to be an officer for at least the next four years so I can get a pension...
The SMLE still gave stalwart service during the Soviet war in Afghanistan, in the hands of insurgent fighters. And they were still used in reserve units fighting in the Indo-Pakistani Wars. Indian police forces still maintain them in armories and issue them to patrol officers in emergencies (such as the mass Pakistani-backed terrorist attack in India some years ago). It was truly the pinnacle of the bolt-action battle rifle.
After finishing US military service in 1967 I attempted to join the Irish Army. The recruiting Sgt thought I was nuts. He offered to give me his job and he would take my place back in Boston.
I get visions of a Del Boy type sidling up to the Irish Army's head of procurement in the pub and going "I know a bloke who knows a bloke who can get you a couple of second hand tanks real cheap."
I'm English but meet a lot of Irish in London in the 70's loved their attitude to life... it would seem the Irish Army has a similar attitude... we need armored vehicles who has some that are cheap, use them till until you run out of ammo or spare parts then start again...
I like this Army. If it was any more 'peacetime' it'd be made of cake. I will say that ideally, all armies should be like the Irish army. Small, never needed, helps at charity events.
Nowdays army's are for domestic emergency's. And the odd parade offcourse lol. Plus the usa is occupying europe anyway now, let them pay for all this nonsense.
Baron von Limbourgh they sent us a few thousand troops in 1798 to help the United Irishmen’s rising. Unfortunately bad weather meant only 2,000 landed. If the other 15,000, we would have been a 32 county Republic in 1799.
I suppose it comes about through a combination of the fact that Patrick is spelt with a T, and the lazy pronunciation of a between vowels T in a number of American dialects . It can be impossible to distinguish between Trader and traitor for example.
Sure and that was a grand video and just in time for St Paddy's. I'll raise a glass of Guinness to ya as I play Brian Boru's march on the uilleann pipes. Sláinte!
good little vid, if u get a chance when ur next back in sunny Ireland, pop down to Timmoney, they have a few of their experimentals on site as plans for the Timmoney light tank as well.
Also most of the British forces in history and the wild Geese, my own ancestors were specialists in getting drunk and loosing things: Cuba and Cork esp.
Not sure about the Churchill being buried in the Glen until the 2000's. I distinctly remember it in the early 80's standing free at the firing point for the 25 pounders. And I know you know we never called the FN a FAL!
Sweden seems to get teamed up with the Irish on UN missions and i think they got to use the CV90 in ateast one of them (with swedish crew and irish infantry).
Needing information on the Curraghs round insignia on the comet tanks in photos from the 50s please! I think they were black discs with read chainmail fist but all I have find is the acorns on red background in new posts not sure if it was part of the tank training school so any info is great
