ARmy Rumour SErvice

**big_mad_ejit** · 16-07-2008, 11:50

Originally Posted by Invicta

How big is the Irish Army these days? I've been told that you suffered big cuts a few years ago.

According to military.ie;

Army
8,500 regulars
11,948 reservists (both regular - 1st line - and TA type - 2nd line)

Naval Service
1,144 regulars
400 reservists

Air Corps
850 regulars

So as far as this maths dunce can work out;

10,494 total regulars
12,348 total reservists

22,842 total

**londonirish** · 16-07-2008, 11:51

keep it on topic man!

**big_mad_ejit** · 16-07-2008, 11:58

Originally Posted by londonirish

keep it on topic man!

we might be outnumbered by the Danes or the Portuguese but I think we could still kick the arrse out of Luxembourg or Iceland!

**londonirish** · 16-07-2008, 12:18

You're not wrong....fackin hell 8,500 divided by 3,000,000 is a much bigger fraction that 100,000 divided by 60,000,000 .0016 versus .0028...

I wish we had that fraction in the UK, I am sure fewer troops would die as a result of overstretch etc.

Mind you, at its hight, the RIrish had about 10,000 blokes

**Imshi-Yallah** · 16-07-2008, 20:15

Might want to check your maths.

ROI -Population in 2006 = Males 2,121,171 Females 2,118,677 Total 4,239,848

http://www.cso.ie/statistics/popnbyage2006.htm

Currently out of that 8,500 Proffessional soldiers - up to 850 can be deployed outside of the state at any one time.
10% on o/seas ops, 10% training for same, 10% on stand down from same - 30% of the PDF tied up at any one time.
Then there is the still significant commitment to keeping peaceful socialist community groups from knocking off Cash in transit and explosives deliveries.

The reserve will at some point get up to scratch to a point where pers beyond the currently envisioned Techie types will be deployable on o/seas ops and maybe even a chunk of the domestic ATCP role but of course the constant danger is that the beancounters will see this as an opportunity to further downsize the regular force.

All in all, not exactly an embarassment of riches.

**londonirish** · 16-07-2008, 21:40

still better than our .blah blah16 percentile, if the beancounters continue being uppity, shell the Four Courts, or wherever they hang out, after all, there is a precendent...

**big_mad_ejit** · 17-07-2008, 09:29

Originally Posted by londonirish

still better than our .blah blah16 percentile, if the beancounters continue being uppity, shell the Four Courts, or wherever they hang out, after all, there is a precendent...

That's Leinster House nowadays.

The shelling of the Four Courts in 1922 during a battle between the new Irish Army and the anti-treaty rebels;

In the process of the bombardment the historic building was destroyed. Most dramatically however, when withdrawing, the rebels deliberately boobytrapped the Public Records Office which was located at the rear of the building. They also boobytrapped its priceless Irish archives, which were stored in the basement of the Four Courts. Nearly one thousand years of priceless archives were destroyed by this act, which is still regarded with infamy.

http://www.wiki.ie/wiki/Four_Courts

Apparently as the archive went up in smoke some rebels dismissed the ashes falling on them as records of British payments to informers whereas in fact it was the record of 1,000 years of the social history of their own country. Well done lads. Nice one. Super.

**TheSpecialOne** · 19-07-2008, 11:16

Do the Reserves still stag on in IDF barracks at weekend to let the Regs go on the lash?

**Imshi-Yallah** · 20-07-2008, 08:47

You mean the TA don't?

**big_mad_ejit** · 20-07-2008, 14:58

Did "stag on" a couple of times at weekends and once for two weeks when all the regs went off to Ibiza.

Also did armoury orderly sergeant a few times when I was a corporal. I wasn't qualified on the BAP so I had to do it with a gustaf smg hanging around my neck like an albatross. You used to have to shoot anyone trying to enter the armoury with lit cigars, fireworks or cans of petrol. Or was that something else?