are there any special forces in Ireland?

CyberGhost

i was never interested in it before but after watching S.W.A.T i got interested, UK has Mi6 but do we have anything like that?

IRA - is not an army anymore, it's a gang

tbh

The Army Rangers
http://www.specialoperations.com/Foreign/Ireland/Rangers/default.htm

tbh

From a policing point of view, I guess the closest we have to swat are the ERU:

http://www.specialoperations.com/Foreign/Ireland/Rangers/default.htm

The Army Ranger Wing is still the country's premier hostage rescue unit, not the Garda Emergency Response Unit. Although both train together closely, the two units have different roles. The ERU is the specialist firearms unit of An Garda Siochana ( which actually means 'guardians of the peace') which is a largely unarmed force. The ERU provide armed backup to the Gardai in situations where weapons may be used. Such situations include dealing with armed robberies, drug dealing, subversive groups etc. The ERU is a separate unit to the SDU. Special Detective Unit are primarily an investigative unit, although they too carry firearms. The Ranger Wing train with other SOF groups around the world, including US Army Rangers, British SAS, Australian & NZ SAS, GIGN, GSG9, Dutch Commandos and the Swedish Special Forces. They would be logical choice for any major hostage incident, with the ERU acting in a support role.


I vaguely recall Andy McNab saying somewhere that if he had to be in any other countrys special forces, the only ones he would consider would be mossad or the rangers. I may have dreamt that tho.

Hope that helps,
Caimin

angelofdeath

the sas are englands special forces unit, not the mi6

you might be surprised to know that the rangers are one of the best special forces units in the world, dont quote me on this but i think they're third, only behind gign and someone else, have to check that out tho

uberwolf

by all accounts are rangers are surprisingly well trained, in comparison to the SAS, SEALS, etc. Though how biased that is? They run competitons off between them and Ireland perform consistently well

Praetorian

The Rangers are trained by the SAS. I'm sure they are trained well, but probably not quite as well as the British recruits.

angelofdeath

read this

Army Rangers among best elite forces


ARMY Rangers out-shot, out-ran and out-maneuvered dozens of special forces teams from around the world in a gruelling contest.

The elite Irish soldiers picked up a bronze medal in the Combat Team Conference this week which tests the skills of special police and military units. Forty-one teams from 22 countries had battled it out.

Austria's COBRA police team came first, with Italy's NOCS police second and the Army Ranger Wing (ARW) third. The Irish came in ahead of such highly skilled units as the Royal Dutch Marines, the Special Task Force from South Africa, Germany's GSG9, Sweden's Special Police Unit and GOE from Portugal.

The British SAS and US special forces did not take part. They only enter competitions where they have a high chance of winning.

The competition, held every four years, was organised by Germany's GSG9 at their base near Bonn.

Rangers had to deal with hostage situations, evade attack dogs, swim long distances in the Rhine and hit targets with their H&K MP5 sub-machine guns and 9mm SiG pistols.

The first event involved a 2.5km run down a steep incline. "At the end of the run, the runner picked up his team of four who were roped together and they made their way back up the hill," said the Ranger team manager. "The team were stopped during the first 1km to identify five 'tangos' (hostage takers) from mug sheets that had been shown previously." Getting it wrong meant having to carry a 20kg sandbag for the rest of the run.

"The events tested the skills that a specialist unit would need in an actual intervention, including shooting, climbing, driving, swimming, leadership and making decisions under pressure," he said.

Grom

Well there u have pld aidan you big sad **** for going and digging that up.Naturally britan didnt take part cause they were to busy sucking the americans cocks

angelofdeath

suck my knob darren, britan didnt take part cos they've got a rep of being the best in the world, but thats just bull**** and they know it

The_Goose

ARW are the coolest thing if ever heard of!
were they kept secret until a few years ago!
had a sargent give us an aiming lesson in the curragh, really knew his stuff!

woosaysdan

no only their identity is unknown

angelofdeath

yeah afriend of mine is in the fca and he said one of the army ranger sargents gave them lessons in the curragh, he said he was lying down, i dunno bout 500yrds or somethin from the target and he had to set up the scope or whatever and he said he couldn't hit sh!t, and then the sargent took the rifle, and standing up fired the whole clip right dead center of the target, the way he said it made it sound impressive anyways

Emboss

The Farmers Union

can bring any city in the country to a stand still in no time..

uberwolf

whats more they are armed at all times

Sleepy

The rangers 3rd place can hardly be considered that elite if the green berets, seals, sas and mossad weren't even in the competition...

Squall

The Irish Rangers are apparently the most well equipped special forces in the world

Ide imagine this is because theres not that many of them so they can afford to splash out on that new barett model

tba

Originally posted by Grom
Well there u have pld aidan you big sad **** for going and digging that up.Naturally britan didnt take part cause they were to busy sucking the americans cocks

and by that you mean fighting a "war"

woosaysdan

actually invading countries

tba

hence the reason war is in brackets

The_Goose

Originally posted by angelofdeath
yeah afriend of mine is in the fca and he said one of the army ranger sargents gave them lessons in the curragh, he said he was lying down, i dunno bout 500yrds or somethin from the target and he had to set up the scope or whatever and he said he couldn't hit sh!t, and then the sargent took the rifle, and standing up fired the whole clip right dead center of the target, the way he said it made it sound impressive anyways

the furthest away we shoot is 300 yards but prob got that mixed up!

but it is exactly like a scene from Heartbreak ridge were clint eastwood gets a complainted bout a rifle, takes it from the private and puts three shots in the bullseye standing up!

My friends da was a ranger, he was bout in his fourties and he could out run us(20s)

A corperal in my company has a son in the rangers as well, and says his son could just up and go and wouldnt be seen for weeks and then just arrive home as if he d been there all along! When asked any questions bout it he just avoids the question!
When asked how many rangers there is he says "Enough"! The corparel is a PDF attachment to our RDF company and he thinks they have about one full platoon (24 rifle men,3 section leaders and 1 platton commander = 28) of rangers but no one really knows!

woosaysdan

its in inverted commas not brackets, " " = inverted commas, ( ) = brackets

angelofdeath

yeah exactly so it was in inverted commas, hence he was being sarcastic, hence you both agree on the subject now lets move on eh?

the furthest away we shoot is 300 yards but prob got that mixed up!

yeah did get that mixed up, don't know a whole lot about the fca's training, or come to think of it, training of armed forces in general, so there ya go

The Beer Baron

Well there u have pld aidan you big sad **** for going and digging that up.Naturally britan didnt take part cause they were to busy sucking the americans cocks

Your originality astounds me,
<sigh>

I'm sooooooo sick of anti-Iraq whingers, I mean seriously, stop bitching about it
get a ****ing job, or better yet, join up with Trocaire or something if you care about the Iraqi people so much, or is bitching about Iraq the new Beckham haircut?

Seriously, I've taken to pretending to be pro-Bush just to piss them off. Someone handed me a flyer and I sung the star spangled banner @ them, quite the pacifists I can tell you.
Me and my girlfriend were driving Limerick last, was it Saturday? There were 2 gimps standing on the Shannon dual carrigeway with their dumb-ass not in my name t-shirts and we got out and had a fight with them. I slapped the bitch about and my girlfriend kicked the hippie-looking guy repeatedly in the balls screaming, "the invasion was in March- GET OVER IT!" again and again until they understood that no matter how much they "protest" nobody's gonna give a **** so shut the **** up...ok wait got sidetracked.

Here's the point:

Ireland, while we're not a military nation, and with our modest armed forces still have a good reputation within the UN and have one of the most reveered elite forces on the planet, typical Irish, a lot of people try to detract from it, but credit where credit is due, our military is modern and well-trained despite a low defense budget (one of the lowest in europe afaik).

And these boys are tough, as I said, we're not a military nation, but we got the Rangers, our naval and air power may be somewhat lacking (that's an understatement people) but we got them. And as for their arsenal? Well I think they keep that secret too, I know they use MP5's, probably Steyr AUG's too, I think they use PSG-1's too I dunno, but I'd love to know more, does anyone else know?

Yeh, we got one of the top "special forces" units on earth, well that's nice to know right? I mean, ok so there's a lot of areas where our goverment is lacking (that's another understatement btw) but at least we're doing sometihng right.

I'm proud of 'em.
All these detractors should too.

{btw- if any of you are looking them up on the net there's also an American Army Ranger force so make sure not to get the 2 confused}

Grom

On a side note I dont ever recall mentioning bechams haircut or iraq perhaps im delusional and have posted this somewere in the thread please feel free to dig it up and show me :rolleyes:

ON a side note aidan member that dude that gave me his pass and login in the labs.he was in the seals in the us and has also trained with the rangers.He told me that he regards the rangers as highly as anybody.

dont know what he is doing he teaching history and irish I think now

PiE

"We're" only doing it right because "we" 'aint training them, the SAS & US Rangers are/did.

I slapped the bitch about and my girlfriend kicked the hippie-looking guy repeatedly in the balls screaming, "the invasion was in March- GET OVER IT!" again and again until they understood that no matter how much they "protest" nobody's gonna give a **** so shut the **** up...ok wait got sidetracked

Sure.

Google > you.

angelofdeath

Originally posted by Grom
ON a side note aidan member that dude that gave me his pass and login in the labs.he was in the seals in the us and has also trained with the rangers.He told me that he regards the rangers as highly as anybody.

dont know what he is doing he teaching history and irish I think now

yeah i remember that guy, didn't know he was seals tho, oh and on a sidenote how'd ya manage to coax his username and pass outta him, obviously didn't know ya too well eh? lol:)

I had a talk from some army dude in school a few years ago who told us about the rangers. If I can remember correctly they train with the American Rangers? Don't know how correct this was.
He told us about their training and how they are selected and stuff and it sounds horrible. They're on about 50 grand a year and they work for something like 2 years before getting to go home.

Someone asked what their duty would be and he said that at the moment they were doing search and destroy missions in East Timor(i think).

Originally posted by PiE

Google > you.

would that motto be any bloody gayer? "who dares wins" it aint...




I wonder how much these lads get funded in the budget...or would they even be funded by the Irish? It wouldn't surprise me if they were funded by the Americans or maybe even the Brittish...or the EU for that matter

angelofdeath

Originally posted by utility_
Someone asked what their duty would be and he said that at the moment they were doing search and destroy missions in East Timor(i think).

they seem so secretive, i find it hard to believe they'd tell you somethin like that

Borzoi

Originally posted by angelofdeath
they seem so secretive, i find it hard to believe they'd tell you somethin like that

Which is kind of ironic considering one was interviewed on RTE 9 OClock news last night, as some of them have just been deployed in Liberia as part of the peacekeeping force.

Mind you, you'd have to know him extremely well, as the only bit of his face showing was a 2" square around the eyes.

Looked like they had all the good gear mind:D

Originally posted by Borzoi
Which is kind of ironic considering one was interviewed on RTE 9 OClock news last night, as some of them have just been deployed in Liberia as part of the peacekeeping force.

Of course by peacekeeping they mean killing loads of fuckers

Originally posted by angelofdeath
i find it hard to believe they'd tell you somethin like that

ah...you got me...I made it all up :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

angelofdeath

well yeah, ya hardly think they're gonna be honest and say we're sending arw to liberia to murder some people, btw way to get round the censor:)

Grom

Lawl ROFL

Sinner_Rez

Ireland has got its own secret service, which is basically what MI-6 and MI-5 are. However the ISS are not seperated into foreign and national units and they work as a more cohesive unit. They are often seconded to the UK and AMerica for missions where an Irish person will gain access more readily than a citizen of one of those nations. They are based in the Curragh, along with the Rangers ( who consistantly outscore the SAS and NAVY Seals in competitions held for the world's special forces. They are also considered the foremost experts in Guerrilla warfare.)

red vex

mossad are israels intellegence service not a strike unit.

monument

Originally posted by utility_
I wonder how much these lads get funded in the budget...or would they even be funded by the Irish? It wouldn't surprise me if they were funded by the Americans or maybe even the Brittish...or the EU for that matter

DOF: Here's some money.
DOD/Army: Thanks! Please Sir, can we have some more?
DOF: No – we’ll need loads more for that stupid tram thing, and the metro which is sure to over run… never mind, just no!

It really is about that simple!

It could be possible (but unlikely) that the Irish army would be partly funded by the EU when/if the rapped reaction force is set up. But why on earth would they be funded by the Americans, or British?

sionnach

roflmao util " reminds me of the dialogue from that classic movie "airplane"

Ted: My orders came through. My squadron ships out tomorrow, we're bombing the storage depot at dakiri at 1800 hours We're coming in from the north, below their radar
Elaine:When will you be back?
Ted: I cant tell you that, it's classified

Originally posted by monument

It could be possible (but unlikely) that the Irish army would be partly funded by the EU when/if the rapped reaction force is set up. But why on earth would they be funded by the Americans, or British?

Because it's not like we'd ever be going off to some god forsaken country with a group of special forces for Irelands benefit...now would we?

angelofdeath

Originally posted by sionnach
Ted: My orders came through. My squadron ships out tomorrow, we're bombing the storage depot at dakiri at 1800 hours We're coming in from the north, below their radar
Elaine:When will you be back?
Ted: I cant tell you that, it's classified

roflmao!!:D

monument

Originally posted by utility_
Because it's not like we'd ever be going off to some god forsaken country with a group of special forces for Irelands benefit...now would we?

Sorry about that, I forgot about the use of Ireland’s armed forces in OSCE, EC, EU, SFOR and KFOR missions. But most or UN led missions.

cujimmy

ARW / ERU elite units? best in the world? haha. One word folks ABBEYLARA

Epitaph

FYI, twas the ERU (Emergency Response Unit) of the Gardai that was involved at Abbeylara, not the Rangers.

Cohiba

1. The A.R.W. were not involved in the Abeylara incident.
2. Whether or not the E.R.U. acted improperly during the incident is a highly debatable matter, but to go into that here would be wandering completely off topic.

Mossy Monk

Originally posted by sionnach
Ted: My orders came through. My squadron ships out tomorrow, we're bombing the storage depot at dakiri at 1800 hours We're coming in from the north, below their radar
Elaine:When will you be back?
Ted: I cant tell you that, it's classified

excellent

woosaysdan

a little bit about the rangers if anybody is interested

The Army Ranger Wing is officially designated 'Sciathán Fianóglach an Airm'. There is no direct English translation of the term 'Fianóglach' so the designation Ranger is the accepted version. 'Fianóglach' links the traditions of the 'Na Fianna' (Legendary Irish Warriors) with the present day Irish Defence Forces (Óglaigh na hÉireann). Qualified members of the unit wear the Fianóglach shoulder flash insignia.

Beginning in the late 1960s, the personnel from the Irish Defense Forces were sent to take part in the US Army's Ranger School. Graduates of this program returned to Ireland and established a new school, very similar in mission and organization to that of the US Army. Students on these courses were selected from among all ranks and all Units of the Army, the Air Corps and the Naval Service. These courses proved to be very beneficial in improving standards of physical endurance, marksmanship, individual military skills and small unit tactics. By 1980, it was decided that the skill level of the members had evolved to a degree which warranted the establishment of an official Army Ranger Wing (ARW). The missions of this unit are multiple, including long range patrolling, training of other units, VIP security, anti-hijacking, hostage rescue, and counterterrorism. These duties, specifically as they related to CT, are considered supplemental to Ireland's primary response unit, the Garda Siochana.

Unit strength is approximately 100 men who are organized into two assault platoons, a support platoon with medical, EOD, aviation, etc. Each of the assault platoons has five assault teams of 3-4 men each. These men are all volunteers, selected from other units already serving with the Defense Forces. Training includes at least three days and one night on the firing range. Advanced tactics are taught in parachuting, combat diving, small boat handling, and mountaineering. Interestingly, ARW members are returned to their original units after a set period of time, thus ensuring their expertise will be shared throughout the Defense Forces. The Rangers have received additional training from the Royal Dutch Marines and the U.S. Army's Delta Force. Operational control of the ARW is the responsibility of the Chief of Staff's Branch at Army Headquarters. The unit is currently located at Curragh Camp, County Kildare.

tba

Very nice, where did you get the info from, or will you have to kill me if I find out?

woosaysdan

here

Hagar

Scíathain is wing.
Fian I think should be fiáin meaning fierce,wild.
Óglach is a volunteer.

A loose translation would be fierce volunteer wing. Not bad.

Óglaigh na hÉireann is Irish Volunteers. Hence the IV on the buttons.

The Fíanna Fáil on the cap badge has nothing to do with the political party is means Soldiers of Destiny.

Here endeth today's lesson.

vibe666

well, i didn't know any of that.

nice to know they're there anyway. sounds like they know their sh1t anyway.. I'd definately want them on our side.

nobody mentioned the Ghurka's yet did they? growing up i always thought they were the best. maybe it was just from me grandaddy being posted in burma and telling me lots of stories.

CyberGhost

Thanks for all the info guys!

now I'm confused! you guys named so many forces which one to get interested in?

the 2 main topics that I'm interested in is:

1. Gardai Special Forces = within city, like SWAT
2. Army Special Forces = military operations

You guys named so many units, I got confused! Can you guys please help me categorize those units?

what does ARW stand for?

1. ermm.... *bird sounds* erm....

2. Irish Rangers
ERU?


also, what do you guys think of Russian Spetsnaz? no no, I'm not thinking of joining it, seeing as you guys are so informed, it's interesting to hear your opinion!

oh, yea one last question, do you have to be in regular army to join/be transfered those special forces? or can you just go straight to them?