If Ireland went to war...

Steyr

The Brits moved out they marched out of the Barracks across the Country, we got their supplies etc.


On another note....

TWO new helicopters arriving in Baldonnel this month will boost Ireland's anti-terrorist Special Forces.

For the first time the highly trained secretive unit, the Army Ranger Wing, will have modern helicopters available to airlift them to any terrorist incident in the country.

The two Anglo-Italian helicopters will fly in from Italy, where Irish Air Corps crews have been training since July, as the first part of a €49m order for four utility helicopters signed by Defence Minister Willie O'Dea.

The high tech twin engined Agusta Westland AW139 helicopters, the first to be delivered to any military force worldwide, will have a variety of roles.

But training and operations with the elite Rangers will be a key priority.

Up to now they have had to rely on small Alouette 3 helicopters, some of them in service for four decades, for limited troop transport. The new AW-139 fleet, which will be able to carry 32 Rangers in one lift, will also be the first armed helicopters to serve with the Air Corps.

Each helicopter has a range of nearly 300 miles.

To fit in with the Special Forces role, the new helicopters will also have abseiling and fast roping systems allowing Rangers to quickly drop onto high-rise buildings, boats, trains, or buses for an assault. The aircraft will also have night-vision capability.

The first two helicopters are to fly in to the Air Corps base on November 21 with the remaining two AW-139s due in 2007.

The Hill Billy

Jebus Styer - We're having a laugh here. There's a Military forum if you want to make a serious point.

JC 2K3 wrote:

Excellent, now all we need is a Giant map of the world, compasses, monacles, cigars, military uniforms and caviar.

Let the conquest begin...

MWAHAHAHAHA!!!!

You forgot the fluffy white cat!

Thirdfox

I'd still prefer an Apache or Commanche though

AOR

Theres prolly a case to be made on Ireland invading Rockall!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rockall

Agamemnon

nipplenuts wrote:

Cork.

Why? Because they refuse to accept the rule of Dublin.

They should be brought to heel immediately !!!!!!!!!!!:D

Bring it on! We'd get a good laugh out of watching you all die trying!

Car Mad

i cant belive no one said this but.Waterford have already started invading we are trying to take over a bit of kilkenney then when we have that all of Kilkenny then its on to Cork.We are then goin to call the hole lot Waterford and wel never be beat in an all ireland hurling again.Thats why we started invading to build the best hurling team ever ha ha

Jimoslimos

agamemnon wrote:

Bring it on! We'd get a good laugh out of watching you all die trying!

Insolent fools - that sounds like a declaration of WAR!

I'm calling for economic sanctions to be imposed first - watch em suffer without the rest of the country propping them up - and then hit them hard.:D

Agamemnon

I would rather die screaming in battle than live under a Waterford flag. Maybe we should invade Waterford first as a pre-emptive strike...

Car Mad

agamemnon wrote:

I would rather die screaming in battle than live under a Waterford flag. Maybe we should invade Waterford first as a pre-emptive strike...

Up the deise ye all know its going to happen:D Kilkenney thought they wer safe but wel get that land yet;)

1huge1

northern ireland...not!!

lads we should pick on someone our own size hmm russia?

nah sersiously id pick belgium then we could plot to rule the EU

DublinWriter

1huge1 wrote:

nah sersiously id pick belgium then we could plot to rule the EU

Yes, that'll be the same Belgium where all 11 million citizens were required to do two years military service before they turned 20 (before 1999), who are members of NATO and who have more F16's than Mary Harney's had chicken suppers.

Face it, when Belgium can kick your arse, it's a sorry day for the fighting ability of your nation.

Although we'd have Luxemburg, but only if we snuck in really quietly the morning after their national public holiday as Luxemburg are the only country in the EU who drink more per capita than the Irish/Brits.

Mr.Nice Guy

Bambi wrote:

nope. The majority of the men (and women) of the IRA back then had f*** all to do with the treaty, they most certainly did not form the free state army,
that was comprised of ex-british army and new recruits. Whether you like it our not the irish army has very little lineage to the IRA who fought the war of independance

Between 7000 to 8000 of the Free State's National Army were former IRA Volunteers. The Army's size soon grew to 55,000 men - most of whom were Irishmen who had fought in Irish regiments of the British Army.

To say therefore that the Free State army had "very little lineage" to the IRA which fought in the war of independence is exaggeration bordering on outright dishonesty.

Bambi wrote:

But the winners get to write the history books and so its easy to forget that our defence forces were originally just the british army in a green uniform

What rubbish. They were IRISHMEN in a green uniform.

The losers - like yourself - have to resort to producing propaganda that is based on a total distortion of the facts.

Dyr

Mr.Nice Guy wrote:

Between 7000 to 8000 of the Free State's National Army were former IRA Volunteers. The Army's size soon grew to 55,000 men - most of whom were Irishmen who had fought in Irish regiments of the British Army.

To say therefore that the Free State army had "very little lineage" to the IRA which fought in the war of independence is exaggeration bordering on outright dishonesty.



What rubbish. They were IRISHMEN in a green uniform.

The losers - like yourself - have to resort to producing propaganda that is based on a total distortion of the facts.

How many of that 7-8000 fought in the war of independence? If i remember my leaving cert history most of the pro treaty forces were recruited during the period between the war of independance and the civil war, the IRA units who fought the war of independance were mostly against the treaty. As you've mentioned most of the free state army were recruited from the british army.

So like i said, the free state army has little lineage to the IRA that fought the war of independance.


Anyway whos a loser? i was born long after all this. Funny, you should still have a loser/winner mentality. When you think about it, the side that lost the civil war will in govt in this country on both sides of the border soon, in the form of the shinners and fianna fail . Not bad for losers eh?

TerrorFirmer

Bambi wrote:

But the winners get to write the history books and so its easy to forget that our defence forces were originally just the british army in a green uniform

What a load of rubbish - Irishmen of ex-british service does not take away from the fact the army was a Irish one.

Many of the initial pro treaty forces were directly from the IRA which fought the war of independance. It's hardly that a clear cut case of the Free State being an entirely seperate body from the old IRA.

Steyr

Mr Nice Guy, Havok..Thank you nice to see someone else here knows what im on about.

Mr.Nice Guy

Bambi wrote:

How many of that 7-8000 fought in the war of independence? If i remember my leaving cert history most of the pro treaty forces were recruited during the period between the war of independance and the civil war, the IRA units who fought the war of independance were mostly against the treaty. As you've mentioned most of the free state army were recruited from the british army.

Your version of history is flawed. The 7-8000 men were composed of pro-Treaty IRA units. The Dublin guard were composed of these people.

Bambi wrote:

So like i said, the free state army has little lineage to the IRA that fought the war of independance

And like I said, you're talking rubbish. 7-8,000 men had fought in the war of independence and yet you pour scorn on their role? Little lineage? Pure nonsense.

Bambi wrote:

Anyway whos a loser? i was born long after all this. Funny, you should still have a loser/winner mentality. When you think about it, the side that lost the civil war will in govt in this country on both sides of the border soon, in the form of the shinners and fianna fail . Not bad for losers eh?

The modern-day version of Sinn Féín bears little resemblance to the Sinn Féin of 1919-21.

Who's a loser you ask? Those who distort history for their own ends...

Sleepy

DMC wrote:

Switzerland. Like us, they never pick on anyone else, so there's enough reason to invade.

Uhm, given that every able-bodied adult male is properly armed and trained I think we'd be fairly fooked tbh.

Switzerland is one of the few true neutral countries is the world. They choose to be so rather than countries like ourlseves that are forced to declare neutrality because we're incapable of defending our own borders.


And Bambi, shut yer hole til ya know what you're talking about. My grandfather served with both the IRA and Óglaigh na hÉireann as did many, many others.

Jimoslimos

Ah lads calm down a bit. Might be an idea to create a separate thread in politics/military/history so Bambi et al., can argue the finer points of early 20th century Irish history.

Most of what's posted here is meant to be mildly amusing (apart from the bit about invading Cork - that I'm deadly serious about. ATTACK )

sparkthatbled

I think what we should do is just declare war on the US and/or UK and sit back to see what they do, chanting "YE'LL NEH-VER BEAT THE OIRISH!" I wonder if we chant that long enough will they begin to believe it? We could lure them into Lansdowne Road and ''Put 'em under pressure'', using english soldiers who have irish grannies! You know it makes sense...

Also i agree Cork needs a good whooping to dispel these dillusional notions of it being any more than an overgrown village! (After that whole 'Cultural Capital of Europe' nonsense had passed on to a drab little town in some other country in need of a fun injection i recently heard an ad on the radio "Cork, the capital! ....... of jazz!" if cork was its own country it still wouldnt be the capital :P ) As does the rest of Munster... For the record, boys, Athenry is in Connacht!

Victor

agamemnon wrote:

I would rather die screaming in battle than live under a Waterford flag. Maybe we should invade Waterford first as a pre-emptive strike...

Ah, just blow up a half dozen bridges and Waterford are screwed.

Car Mad

Victor wrote:

Ah, just blow up a half dozen bridges and Waterford are screwed.

ah yes but wer strengthing the bridges for the attack have u seen the traffic going in to youghal plus wer building a new bridge due to be completed 2005 :rolleyes: wer ready comon:cool: goin to have best hurling team ever;)

Dyr

Mr.Nice Guy wrote:

Between 7000 to 8000 of the Free State's National Army were former IRA Volunteers.

the entire IRA during the war of independance was probably numbered at about 7000, are you saying the whole of the IRA who fought the war of independance joined the free state army? Most of the free state army never fought in the war of independance, they were recruited after it. Of course, there were many who fought during the war of independance who were for the treaty but the majority? I doubt it very much. Hell, if you want to believe wiki, Mulcahy reckoned the IRA were 2/1 against the treaty.

Mr.Nice Guy wrote:

What rubbish. They were IRISHMEN in a green uniform.

The RIC were irishmen too, hardly helps their credentials. These were Irishmen who served in the British army when this country was at war with Britain. AFAIR Tom Barry maintained that many of them were vehemently anti-republican. There was a word for that kind of irishman and it conveniently rhymed with "free stater".

So lets review,
the free state army:
Armed by the british
Equipped with transport etc by the british
Heavily populated by ex british army
Used british officers for their expertise
Supported a government who took and oath of allegiance to a british king
Went into the four courts at the insistence of the british government, kicking of a civil war.

And I'm distorting history by saying they were the british in a green uniform? its might be flippant and oversimplified but it's based in truth

and yes, Havok you're right, nothing in the civil war was as straightforward as the debate here suggests and I'm guilty of oversimplifying but when you have the likes of steyr,(who at least had the manners to thank Havoc and Nice guy for making the argument he patently wasnt capable of formulating ) waffling about the army dying for our freedom, the GPO etc then I'm going to point out that the irish army had its origin in the free state army.

Oh and Sleepy I'm sure you're not the kind of guy who only has the nerve to tell people to shut their hole when he's on the interweb so PM me and I'll endeavour to afford you the opportunity to say it to my face

Now, lets invade the vatican, Its worth a bleedin fortune and they're only armed with penknives, even our lot should be able to handle that

Victor

Bambi wrote:

the entire IRA during the war of independance was probably numbered at about 7000,

In Cork alone, it numbered about 20,000, although that is disproportionately high.

The RIC were irishmen too, hardly helps their credentials. These were Irishmen who served in the British army when this country was at war with Britain.

The RIC were policemen, not soldiers.

So lets review,
the free state army:
Armed by the british
Equipped with transport etc by the british
Heavily populated by ex british army
Used british officers for their expertise
Supported a government who took and oath of allegiance to a british king
Went into the four courts at the insistence of the british government, kicking of a civil war.

A governemnt that had the support of the majority

And I'm distorting history by saying they were the british in a green uniform? its might be flippant and oversimplified but it's based in truth

Not truth, spin.

upthere

Ah they're only having a laugh! ah sur wayed never gah to war!
If they learned to pronouce words properly, then I'd take them seriously!

Capt'n Midnight

Bambi wrote:

Went into the four courts at the insistence of the british government, kicking of a civil war.

in fairness the instistence was in the form of re-occuping the country and now that all the military forces were in the open it would have been fairly easy to round them up, that and the greater numbers of british soilders available then.

DublinWriter

Bambi wrote:

There was a word for that kind of irishman and it conveniently rhymed with "free stater".

You know I often wondered why the LC History cirrculum ended around 1916, and now I see why.

Even now the situation contitues to be devisive, they can't even erect a signpost to Michael Collin's place of birth in Kerry without some CIRA yahoo pulling it down every other week.

We can worry the bone of the past all we like, but it's only the future that we have any power to change.