Irish Army

The Irish Army, known simply as the Army (Irish: an tArm), is the land component of the Defence Forces of Ireland. Approximately 7,500 men and women currently serve in the Irish Army, divided into two geographically organised brigades. As well as maintaining its primary roles of defending the State and internal security within the State, since 1958 the Army has had a continuous presence in peacekeeping missions around the world. The Army also participates in the European Union Battlegroups. The Air Corps and Naval Service support the Army in carrying out its roles.

Roles of the Army

The roles of the Army are:

Irish Army (Kingdom of Ireland)

The Irish Army was the standing army of the Kingdom of Ireland which existed between 1541 and 1801. It was amalgamated into the British Army following the Act of Union, although some roles continued to exist separately.

Origins

The origins of the Irish Army were in the traditional royal garrisons of the old Lordship of Ireland. Numbers were low during peacetime, and during the sixteenth century the force would be supplemented by assembling militia in The Pale and the raising of troops by loyal Gaelic chieftains during emergencies. It was financed by votes in the Irish Parliament, although this was sometimes supplemented by subsidies sent over from London. The principal task of the Army was to defend Ireland from internal disorder and invasion by foreign powers.

The Irish security situation had come under strain during the rebellion of Thomas FitzGerald, 10th Earl of Kildare in the 1530s. The Fitzgerald family had traditionally been the leading Anglo-Irish lords in the country, serving as Lord Lieutenants. Their rebellion exposed the weakness of Henry VIII's forces in the Lordship of Ireland, with the rebels securing large gains and launching a Siege of Dublin.