The 3rd Infantry Battalion (''3rd Inf Bn''; Irish: ''3ú Cathlán Coisithe'') is one of the seven current

infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and m ...

battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of 300 to 1,200 soldiers commanded by a lieutenant colonel, and subdivided into a number of companies (usually each commanded by a major or a captain). In some countries, battalions are ...

s of the

Irish Army The Irish Army, known simply as the Army ( ga, an tArm), is the land component of the Defence Forces (Ireland), Defence Forces of Republic of Ireland, Ireland.The Defence Forces are made up of the Permanent Defence Forces – the standing bran ...

. It is the oldest still established unit of the Army, and is headquartered in

Stephens Barracks Stephens Barracks () is a military installation in Kilkenny, Ireland. History The barracks were built by James Switzer (then spelled Switser) on land provided by the Earl of Ormond as part of the response to the Irish Rebellion and complete ...

, Kilkenny as part of 1st Brigade.

History

The battalion traces its history back to January 1923, when the unit was formed from several units based near Drumboe,

County Donegal County Donegal ( ; ga, Contae Dhún na nGall) is a county of Ireland in the province of Ulster and in the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Donegal in the south of the county. It has also been known as County Tyrconn ...

. When the Irish Civil War concluded later that year, the battalion was transferred to

Boyle, County Roscommon Boyle (; ) is a town in County Roscommon, Ireland. It is located at the foot of the Curlew Mountains near Lough Key in the north of the county. Carrowkeel Megalithic Cemetery, the Drumanone Dolmen and the lakes of Lough Arrow and Lough G ...

and in 1927 it was transferred to its permanent home in the

Curragh Camp The Curragh Camp ( ga, Campa an Churraigh) is an army base and military college in The Curragh, County Kildare, Ireland. It is the main training centre for the Defence Forces (Ireland), Irish Defence Forces and is home to 2,000 military personnel ...

, where it became the Army’s demonstration unit. At the start of

Emergency An emergency is an urgent, unexpected, and usually dangerous situation that poses an immediate risk to health, life, property, or environment and requires immediate action. Most emergencies require urgent intervention to prevent a worsening ...

in 1939, the battalion occupied positions in

Portlaoise Portlaoise ( ), or Port Laoise (), is the county town of County Laois, Ireland. It is located in the South Midlands in the province of Leinster. The 2016 census shows that the town's population increased by 9.5% to 22,050, which was well above ...

, Kilkenny and

Waterford "Waterford remains the untaken city" , mapsize = 220px , pushpin_map = Ireland#Europe , pushpin_map_caption = Location within Ireland##Location within Europe , pushpin_relief = 1 , coordinates ...

and in May 1940 it formed the core of the 1st Mobile Column, responsible for the defence of Waterford and

Wexford Wexford () is the county town of County Wexford, Ireland. Wexford lies on the south side of Wexford Harbour, the estuary of the River Slaney near the southeastern corner of the island of Ireland. The town is linked to Dublin by the M11/N1 ...

. In 1941 the battalion became the spearhead of the newly formed 5th Infantry Brigade, responsible for defending the southeast of the country from possible invasion. In 1946, the battalion returned to Connolly Barracks in the Curragh Camp. In 1960, many members deployed to the Congo with

ONUC The United Nations Operation in the Congo (french: Opération des Nations Unies au Congo, abbreviated to ONUC) was a United Nations peacekeeping force deployed in the Republic of the Congo in 1960 in response to the Congo Crisis. ONUC was the ...

, and five DSMs were awarded to serving or former members of the battalion. From 1969, the unit was heavily committed to internal security duties. In 1998, the 30th Infantry Battalion was amalgamated into the 3rd Infantry Battalion. Personnel from the battalion have seen service all over the world as part of Irish

peacekeeping Peacekeeping comprises activities intended to create conditions that favour lasting peace. Research generally finds that peacekeeping reduces civilian and battlefield deaths, as well as reduces the risk of renewed warfare. Within the United ...

contingents, both within and outside the structure of the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmonizi ...

. Today, the battalion forms part of 1st Brigade, contributing soldiers not only for the defence and security of the

Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern ...

, but also for deployment overseas. In 2006 the battalion contributed to the formation of the 95th Infantry Battalion, made up of personnel from the then 1st Southern Brigade, which deployed as part of the

UNMIL The United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) was a peacekeeping operation established in September 2003 to monitor a ceasefire agreement in Liberia following the resignation of President Charles Taylor and the conclusion of the Second Liberian ...

mission to

Liberia Liberia (), officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to its northwest, Guinea to its north, Ivory Coast to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean to its south and southwest. It ...

. The battalion is now stationed at

in Kilkenny. The battalion has served in various UN missions in trouble spots abroad including

Congo Congo or The Congo may refer to either of two countries that border the Congo River in central Africa: * Democratic Republic of the Congo, the larger country to the southeast, capital Kinshasa, formerly known as Zaire, sometimes referred to a ...

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to Lebanon–Syria border, the north and east and Israel to Blue ...

and

Cyprus Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is ...

Prior to the re-organisation in 2012, B Company was stationed separately from the rest of the battalion, and served as the training unit for the Mowag Piranha APC, part of the Defence Forces Training Centre. Subsequently, this was split and renamed as the 1st Mechanised Infantry Company.

References

3rd Infantry Battalion Military units and formations established in 1923 {{Mil-unit-stub