Speech
Review of the 122nd Infantry Battalion Sarsfield Barracks Limerick - 4 May 2023
By: Minister for Defence; Micheál Martin
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Last updated on
By: Minister for Defence; Micheál Martin
Published on
Last updated on
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Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, thank you for being here at this important event in Sarsfield Barracks this evening.
It is an important event, because we are here in Limerick to review personnel of the 122nd Infantry Battalion, ahead of your departure for Lebanon in the coming weeks for service with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon.
Is mór an onóir dom a bheith anseo chun páirt a ghlacadh san ócáid thábhachtach seo. Táim buíoch díbh go léir as bhur seirbhís agus a dtiomantas do chúis na síochána.
I know that you have all had an extremely busy few weeks, having only recently concluded your training in Coolmoney Camp in the Glen of Imaal.
As final preparations ahead of deployment are being made, today marks a significant day of celebration for you and your families.
I want to especially acknowledge the essential role that family members play in supporting you in your service, but especially when you are away from home.
Your families fulfil a vital but unsung role in Ireland's contribution to peacekeeping missions around the world.
Separation from family and loved ones can put strains and pressures on individuals, and the support provided by family and friends during this period is critical to the success of these missions.
I want you to know that the government, and the entire country are very grateful for that support.
Peacekeeping is the most important international actions for good that any nation can participate in, and each and every one of you personify our nation’s commitment to that noble cause.
However, as well as being a very honourable task, it is, unfortunately, also a dangerous one.
This risk became a tragic reality when eight personnel from the Battalion that you are about to replace - the 121st Battalion - were involved in an incident resulting in the death of Private Seán Rooney and injuries being sustained by three other members of our Defence Forces.
I am particularly mindful that the homecoming of the 121st battalion in the coming weeks, will serve as a further poignant reminder for the Rooney family of their terrible loss.
As you, the men and women of the 122nd Infantry Battalion, leave to write a new chapter in the history of the Defence Forces participation in UNIFIL, we remember the high price that has been paid by members of our defence forces while on service in Lebanon.
Today, we remember them all, especially Private Seán Rooney. We honour their sacrifices and the sacrifice of all who have lost their lives in the cause of peace.
Over the years, the Defence Forces have built a strong and durable relationship with the people of Lebanon which serves as a strong foundation for all that serve with this mission.
You are following in the proud traditions of the thousands of men and women of Óglaigh na h-Éireann who have gone before you.
The role of the Defence Forces in overseas missions is primarily to promote a safe and secure environment and support local communities where they are deployed.
In my capacity as Minister for Foreign Affairs, I am particularly conscious of the importance of this tradition as an essential component of Ireland’s foreign policy and your participation in UNIFIL illustrates the very positive and practical difference that small countries like Ireland can make in the world’s trouble spots.
When we secured membership of the United Nations, we did so with absolute commitment to the core principles of the UN’s Charter and remembering the destruction which followed the failure of others to respect the values of the League of Nations, which Ireland joined one hundred years ago.
Supporting the cause of protecting human rights and promoting peace became the core mission of our Defence Forces and they have, in turn, brought great honour to our country throughout the world.
As Eoin Kinsella’s excellent recent history of the “The Irish Defence Forces 1922-2022” said, “the men and women of Óglaigh na h-Éireann have met every major challenge that successive governments have set over the last century.”
I said recently that I am very conscious of the fact that today we also stand at a crossroads in terms of the role of our Army, Naval Service, Air Corps and Reserves.
We have to enable them to recruit and retain the personnel they need to perform their core functions. We have to invest in equipment and facilities which are relevant to today’s world rather than the past.
This evening I want to take the chance to assure you that I as Minister, and the government as a whole are fully committed to meeting the challenges facing the Defence Forces today.
We will do what is necessary to enable our Defence Forces to recruit and retain the personnel they need to succeed in their mission – both at home and overseas.
We are investing in equipment and facilities which are relevant to the threats and challenges they face today and will face in the future.
We are making significant strides in improving the Defence Forces built infrastructure, including improving accommodation facilities for all personnel.
However, providing a safe working environment and one in which each of you and every other member of Óglaigh na hÉireann can reach your full potential is about much more than the physical environment in which you are working.
The recent report of the Independent Review Group (IRG) identified serious shortcomings in this respect. I know that the General Staff have spoken to as many members of the Defence Forces as possible and I hope that as many of you as possible had the opportunity to be part of those briefings.
I want to reassure each of you, and each of your families that I am taking the IRG Report and its recommendations extremely seriously.
The government has agreed to progress, as a priority, its thirteen recommendations in full. I am absolutely determined that this report must be, and will be, the catalyst for the transformation of Ireland’s Defence Forces.
I welcome the fact that, just last week, the Chief of Staff reaffirmed that the leadership of the Defence Forces accepts this report and is also committed to implementing its recommendations.
As Minister, with full government support, I have already moved to establish an Independent External Oversight Body to drive the necessary culture change throughout the Defence Forces and to increase transparency and accountability.
I will move this body to a statutory footing shortly, once its full membership has been recruited.
We have also agreed to the establishment of a Statutory Inquiry to investigate whether there have been serious systemic failures in the complaints system in the Defence Forces on interpersonal issues, including sexual misconduct.
I also want to reassure you all that progress is continuing with the implementation of the recommendations of the Commission on the Defence Forces.
The Strategic Framework we are putting in place to drive these through will also be an important enabling mechanism for delivery of the IRG’s actions.
My priority is to ensure that there is one Strategic Plan for the transformation of the Defence Forces, fully understood by everyone, that has the appropriate governance and reporting mechanisms, and is properly resourced.
Our end goal has to be a safe workplace where self-worth is actively promoted and mutual respect becomes a dominant feature in an organisation which is open to change.
I want a career in the Defence Forces to be one where every individual feels valued, respected and recognised for the positive contribution they are making to the country’s security and that the Defence Forces is the quality workplace they deserve.
You, the men and women of the 122nd Infantry Battalion have all worked and trained hard to prepare yourself for duty with UNIFIL.
You deploy to Lebanon under the command of a fellow Cork man, Lieutenant Colonel Cathal Keohane, from Skibbereen. Given his experience, with extensive overseas duty already completed, I know you are in very capable hands.
Personnel travelling with the 122nd Infantry Battalion represent 27 counties across Ireland, with the largest contribution coming from my own county of Cork.
For 85 of you, this is your first tour of duty overseas.
And, while the remaining members of the Battalion have all had previous overseas service, Sergeant Declan Higgins stands out for having completed the most tours of duty of all personnel within the 122nd Infantry Battalion with a total of 17 tours to his name. I congratulate him on his 18th overseas deployment as well as the other personnel on their commitment to service overseas.
Before I conclude, I want each of you in the 122nd Infantry Battalion to reflect on the enormous pride which the people of Ireland take in your service as professional peacekeepers.
UN peacekeepers have long been the best chance for peace for some of the world’s most vulnerable people and while overseas in Lebanon, you will make a real and positive difference in the lives of these people.
Finally, I want to wish each and every member of the 122nd Infantry Battalion a safe and successful mission under the leadership of Lieutenant Colonel Cathal Keohane.
You will be in our thoughts throughout the duration of your tour of duty.
Thank you for your service.
Go raibh míle maith agaibh.