The Infantry Corps (INF) () is the largest component of the

Irish Army The Irish Army () 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 branches – and the Reserve Defence Forces. ...

. Infantry soldiers are regarded as operational troops who must be prepared for tactical deployment in any location at short notice. In wartime, this means that they will be among the front line troops in the defence of the State. In peacetime however they can be seen daily performing operational duties in Aid to the Civil Power (ATCP) such as providing escorts to cash, prisoner or explosive shipments, patrols of vital state installations and border patrols, including check points. The infantry corps consists of a total of seven battalions, a single mechanised company and the Infantry School.

An Chéad Chathlán Coisithe

''An Chéad Chathlán Coisithe'' (English: The First Infantry Battalion) was established as an

Irish language Irish (Standard Irish: ), also known as Irish Gaelic or simply Gaelic ( ), is a Celtic language of the Indo-European language family. It is a member of the Goidelic languages of the Insular Celtic sub branch of the family and is indigenous ...

speaking unit in Galway in 1924. The role of ''An Chéad Chathlán Coisithe'' was seen as very important as far as the status and use of the first official language (Irish) of the State was concerned. All the armed forces units except An Chéad Cathlán functioned exclusively through the medium of the State's second official language (English). In modern times, the use of Irish as a working language in Óglaigh na hÉireann would appear to have been abandoned, even in An Chéad Chathlán. The then Minister for Defence, Mr O'Toole (on 4 December 1986) presented details regarding the recruitment of native Irish speakers to An Chéad Chathlán. These details show that no recruit from a ''

Gaeltacht A ( , , ) is a district of Ireland, either individually or collectively, where the Irish government recognises that the Irish language is the predominant vernacular, or language of the home. The districts were first officially recognised ...

'' area was enlisted into the battalion in 1983. Under the 'Defence Forces icScheme' 2006-2009 ( under Section 11 of the Official Languages Act 2003) Óglaigh na hÉireann have undertaken to improve the delivery of services in Irish to the public. ''The aim of the

Official Languages Act 2003 The Official Languages Act 2003 () is an Act of the Oireachtas of Ireland. The Act sets out rules regarding use of the Irish language by public bodies; established the office of to monitor and enforce compliance by public bodies with the pro ...

is to increase and improve in an organised manner over a period of time the quantity and quality of services provided ''for the public'' through Irish by public bodies. The legislation intends to create a space for the language in public affairs in Ireland.'','' It is noteworthy that the term ''public'' means individuals, legal persons and corporate bodies. Irish air corp are acting in a capacity which is representative of the State, Government or, where appropriate, contractor personnel, providing a service on behalf of Óglaigh na hÉireann. Consequently, persons who fulfil official functions of a public nature, even though they are legal persons, do not come within the meaning of the word ''public'' when they are fulfilling those official functions. Only in Gaeltacht areas is there an onus on Óglaigh na hÉireann to use Irish as the working language of the force. Section 13(2)(e) of the Official Languages Act states that a Public Body shall'' " ensure that the Irish language becomes the working language in its offices in the Gaeltacht not later than such date as may be determined by it with the consent of the Minister."'' There are no permanently manned Barracks or Posts of Óglaigh na hÉireann in Gaeltacht regions, ''"there are, however, training centres of na hÓglaigh Chúltaca (Reserve elements) manned on a part-time basis in the following locations: Carna, Maigh Cuilinn,

An Cheathrú Rua Carraroe (in Irish, and officially, , meaning 'the red quarter') is a village in Connemara, the coastal Irish-speaking region (Gaeltacht) of County Galway, Ireland. It is known for its traditional fishing boats, the Galway Hookers. Its popul ...

, An Daingean."'' Under its agreed Language Scheme Óglaigh an hÉireann ''"will ensure that, by 2012, Irish will become the working language of these locations."''

Ceremonial Military Guard

The Ceremonial Military Guard (''Garda Míleata Searmanais'') of the

Irish Defence Forces The Defence Forces (, officially styled ) derives its origins from the Irish Volunteers. Whilst the Irish for ''Defence Forces'' is , as Ó Cearúil (1999) points out, the Defence Forces are officially styled . is used in other contexts (e.g. ...

is a guard of honour unit drawn from every battalion in the corps. It is also known as the ''Garda Onóra'' (Guard of Honour in English). It is inspected by the

President of Ireland The president of Ireland () is the head of state of Republic of Ireland, Ireland and the supreme commander of the Defence Forces (Ireland), Irish Defence Forces. The presidency is a predominantly figurehead, ceremonial institution, serving as ...

Taoiseach The Taoiseach (, ) is the head of government or prime minister of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The office is appointed by the President of Ireland upon nomination by Dáil Éireann (the lower house of the Oireachtas, Ireland's national legisl ...

or visiting military and political dignitaries. Personnel of the guard carry

Steyr AUG The Steyr AUG () is an Austrian bullpup assault rifle chambered for the 5.56×45mm NATO intermediate cartridge, designed in the 1960s by Steyr-Daimler-Puch, and now manufactured by Steyr Arms GmbH & Co KG. The AUG was adopted by the Austri ...

rifles. The Defence Forces participate in the State ceremonial connected with: * Presidential Inaugurations * Presidential State Visits Abroad * State Visits to Ireland by Heads of State and Government * Presentation of Credentials by Ambassadors * 1916 Commemoration Ceremonies * State Funerals *

National Day of Commemoration In Ireland, the National Day of Commemoration () commemorates all Irish people who died in past wars or United Nations peacekeeping missions. It occurs on the Sunday nearest 11 July (see Irish Calendar), the anniversary of the date in 1921 th ...

* Easter Parade * Changing of the Guard on

Merrion Square Merrion Square () is a Georgian architecture, Georgian garden square on the Southside Dublin, southside of Dublin city centre. History The square was laid out in 1762 to a plan by John Smyth and Jonathan Barker for the estate of Richard Fitz ...

* National Famine Commemoration The guard wears the

Service Dress Service dress uniform is the informal type of uniform used by military, police, fire and other public uniformed services for everyday office, barracks and non-field duty purposes and sometimes for ceremonial occasions. It frequently consists of a ...

(SD) on ceremonial occasions. The Ceremonial Military Guard also takes part in the Changing of the Guard at

park in Dublin.

Units

Current units of the Infantry Corps: * An Chéad Chathlán Coisithe * 3 Infantry Battalion * 6 Infantry Battalion * 7 Infantry Battalion * 12 Infantry Battalion * 27 Infantry Battalion * 28 Infantry Battalion * 1 Mechanised Infantry Company * Infantry School ** Officer Training Wing ** Non Commissioned Officers Training Wing ** Infantry Weapons Wing Disestablished units: * 2 Infantry Battalion (1924-2012) * 4 Infantry Battalion (1924-2012) * 5 Infantry Battalion (1924-2012) * 6 Infantry Battalion (1924-1929) - ''(Current 6 Inf Bn established in 1940)'' * 7 Infantry Battalion (1924-1929, 1940-1959) - ''(Current 7 Inf Bn established in 2012)'' * 8 Infantry Battalion (1924-1929, 1940-1946) * 9 Infantry Battalion (1924-1929, 1940-1946) * 10 Infantry Battalion (1924-1929, 1940-1946) * 11 Infantry Battalion (1924-1929, 1940-1946) * 12 Infantry Battalion (1924-1929) - ''(Current 12 Inf Bn established in 1940)'' * 13 Infantry Battalion (1924-1929, 1940-1959) * 14 Infantry Battalion (1924-1928, 1941-1946) * 15 Infantry Battalion (1924-1928, 1941-1946) * 16 Infantry Battalion (1924-1928, 1941-2005) * 17 Infantry Battalion (1924-1927, 1941-1946) * 18 Infantry Battalion (1924-1927, 1941-1946) * 19 Infantry Battalion (1924-1927, 1941-1946) * 20 Infantry Battalion (1924-1927, 1941-1946) * 21 Infantry Battalion (1924-1927, 1941-1946) * 22 Infantry Battalion (1924-1927, 1941-1946) * 23 Infantry Battalion (1924-1927, 1941-1946) * 24 Infantry Battalion (1924-1927, 1941-1946) * 25 Infantry Battalion (1924-1927, 1941-1946) * 26 Infantry Battalion (1924-1927) - see also

26th Infantry Battalion The 26th Infantry Battalion (26ú Cathlán) was formed during " The Emergency" in Ireland at the time of the Second World War. This battalion was part of the second line reserve and comprised almost exclusively men who had seen active service in th ...

(26ú Cathlán), formed during The Emergency * 27 Infantry Battalion (1924-1927) - ''(Current 27 Inf Bn established in 1973)'' * 29 Infantry Battalion (1976-1998) * 30 Infantry Battalion (1977-1998) * 31 Infantry Battalion (1941-1946) Disestablished reserve units: * 32 Reserve Infantry Battalion (Made up of 14, 15 and 22 Battalions of the FCA) (2012) * 33 Reserve Infantry Battalion (2012) * 34 Reserve Infantry Battalion (2012) * 51 Reserve Infantry Battalion (2012) * 56 Reserve Infantry Battalion (2012) * 58 Reserve Infantry Battalion (2012) * 62 Reserve Infantry Battalion (made up of 20 and 21 Battalions of the FCA) (2012) * 65 Reserve Infantry Battalion (made up of 7 FCA Battalion) (2012) * 67 Reserve Infantry Battalion (2012)

Gallery

File:Defense.gov photo essay 120831-D-VO565-006.jpg, Gen.

Martin E. Dempsey Martin “Marty” Edward Dempsey (born 14 March 1952), is an American retired military officer who served as the 18th chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from October 2011 to September 2015. He previously served as the 37th chief of Staff o ...

, chairman of the

Joint Chiefs of Staff The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) is the body of the most senior uniformed leaders within the United States Department of Defense, which advises the president of the United States, the secretary of defense, the Homeland Security Council and ...

, reviews the Irish Honor Guard at Brugha Barracks in

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

, Aug. 31, 2012. File:Military Guard Ceremony, Merrion Square 31 August (9635286009).jpg, Guard Ceremony, Merrion Square File:State Visit by The President of the Republic of Mozambique013 (14173089189).jpg, State visit President of Mozambique File:Irish Army Mowag Piranha.jpg, A

Mowag Piranha The Mowag Piranha is a family of armoured fighting vehicles designed by the Swiss company Mowag (since 2010 General Dynamics European Land Systems – Mowag GmbH). Five generations of vehicles have been produced, manufactured by Mowag or under ...

of the 3rd Infantry Battalion at the 2006 Easter parade Dublin.

References

External links

The Infantry Corps , Irish Army

Merrion Square 2015 Preparation

28th Inf Bn on Ceremonial Military Guard Duty - 17 August 2013

27 Infantry Battalion perform ceremonial drill at the National Memorial, Merrion Square
{{Use dmy dates, date=June 2017

Infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...