Sliabh na mBan went to TankFest

Manic Moran

A little bit of PR, she's looking lovely.

tac foley

My dad, back in the ICW and afterwards, had actually driven this wonderful old vehicle.

Sitting in the driving seat a few years back, thanks to a friend in the PDF, was a very emotive thing for me.

tac

Local-womanizer

Seen it up close last month, lovely looking vehicle.

Jawgap

Saw her about 3 years ago just before they did the restoration. They were getting her ready in good time for the "Decade of Centenaries."

The officer showing her to us said they were stripping her right down and building her back up pretty much from scratch - looks like they did an outstanding job.

time lord

Has had the vickers mounted too for a range visit and let off an amount of rounds successfully .

Hedgemeister

Jawgap wrote: »

Saw her about 3 years ago just before they did the restoration. They were getting her ready in good time for the "Decade of Centenaries."

The officer showing her to us said they were stripping her right down and building her back up pretty much from scratch - looks like they did an outstanding job.

There's a video of that restoration on the Curragh History Forum.

Owryan

time lord wrote: »

Has had the vickers mounted too for a range visit and let off an amount of rounds successfully .

And my kids have some of the brass from that shoot :D

tac foley

Owryan wrote: »

And my kids have some of the brass from that shoot :D

Great envy is mine.

tac

Stovepipe

tac, I did the same as you. Brought a lump to my throat. Grandad served in all of the Rolls in his time in the DF. The car is magnificent and a credit to the DF and especially the restorers.

regards
Stovepipe

tac foley

Stovepipe - I'll be honest with you and say that I've never seen such a beautifully-prepared restoration of ANY fighting vehicle anywhere in my life. It is nothing less than Pebble Beach standard.

Could be that our relatives might have known each other, too. What great craic that would be to hear them together, eh?

Best

tac

Stovepipe

Hi there,
It's a gem. Now, the screws don't line up like Pebble Beach cars but it's a masterpiece. the engine is so quiet, it sounds like a pair of slippers rubbing on carpet...........my grandfather, the late Michael McKnight, was in the Army from 1922 to 1962. Served everywhere and in or on anything the DF had, except naval vessels and aircraft, although he did once fly in an Air Corps Hawker. He fired or exploded everything they had in that time and served in all of the armoured vehicles, Rolls, Peerless, Crossley, Lancia and the later Fords and Dodges. He hated the Beaverettes, incidentally, called them a menace. Didn't ever say much about the tanks but did drive the Landsverk. Thought it was a bit pointless as a tank. Liked the Bren Carrier but hated the Brits for sending them badly finished or scarcely serviceable weapons and vehicles during the War (Bren carriers with cracked armour or substandard steel, rattling field guns that fell apart when being towed, constant battle for spares for all weapons). Liked the Comets but thought the Churchills wrong for Ireland. Loved the Vickers and Bren, thought the Madsen was junk..............

regards
Stovepipe

claypigeon777

time lord wrote: »

Has had the vickers mounted too for a range visit and let off an amount of rounds successfully .

As far as I know the machine gunner on the day Collins was shot was a Scot by the name of Jock McPeake. After the executions of republicans by the Free State he defected to the IRA and took the car with him and for his trouble he spent time in prison after the Civil War was over. The original Vickers machine gun was removed when the armored car broke down and was abandoned. I remember reading somewhere that the machine gun was still in working order years later and was used in an ambush in Northern Ireland during the Troubles.