Brian Cowen

Fianna Fáil

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• published: 30 Apr 2016
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• Fianna Fáil • The Irish National Army, sometimes unofficially referred to as the Free State army, was the army of the Irish Free State from January 1922 until October 1924. Its role in this period was defined by its service in the Irish Civil War, in defense of the institutions established by the Anglo-Irish Treaty. Michael Collins was the army's first chief of staff from its establishment until his death in August 1922; when command of Beggars Bush Barracks was handed over from the British Army. Its first troops were those volunteers of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) who supported the Anglo-Irish Treaty and the "Provisional Government of Ireland" formed there under. Conflict arose between the National Army and the anti-Treaty components of the IRA, which did not support the government of the Irish Free State. On 28 June 1922 the National Army commenced an artillery bombardment of anti-Treaty IRA forces who were occupying the Four Courts in Dublin, thus beginning the Irish Civil War. The National Army was greatly expanded in size to fight this war against the anti-Treaty IRA, in a mostly counter-insurgency campaign that was brought to a successful conclusion in May 1923. From 1st October 1924, the Army was reorganized into a smaller, better regulated force; the term "National Army" superseded by the legal establishment of the Defence Forces as the Irish Free State's military force. • With the end of the Civil War, the National Army had grown too big for a peacetime role and was too expensive for the new Irish state to maintain; in addition, many of the civil war recruits were badly trained and undisciplined, making them unsuitable material for a full-time professional army. In the autumn of 1923, the government started to reduce the size of the National Army. This entailed a reduction of 30,000 personnel (including 2,200 officers) by March 1924.On the 3rd August 1923 the Irish Free State passed the Defence Forces Act, raising an armed force to be called “Óglaigh na hÉireann” which was established on the 1st October 1924.This date marks the ending of the initial phase of the National Army and the legal establishment of the Defence Forces as the Irish Free State's military force. In 1924, a small group of officers, led mainly by former members of the Squad, attempted to resist the efforts to demobilise. This situation evolved into what became called the "Irish Army Mutiny”, which after an ultimatum, was resolved relatively peaceably with recognition of the authority of the Irish Free State's Government. • Despite the Irish neutral stance in World War Two, the Army was greatly expanded during this period; it grew from about 10,000 men up to about 40,000 by the war's end. By early 1941, this comprised an all-volunteer force of two infantry divisions and two independent brigades, as well as coastal artillery and garrison units. The expansion was undertaken in the face of potential invasions from either the Allied or Axis powers both of who had drawn up contingency plans to invade Ireland. • Today’s Irish Army (an tArm), is the land component of the Defence Forces of Ireland. Approximately 7,500 men and women currently serve with it, divided into two geographically organised brigades. As well as maintaining its primary roles of defending the State and internal security, they have had a continuous presence in peacekeeping missions around the world since 1958.