Irish kids joining british army

The British military is experiencing a large rise in recruits from the Irish Republic, figures obtained by BBC Radio 4's PM programme have shown.

They reveal a four-fold increase in military personnel from the Irish Republic during the past three years.

Between 2005 and 2006, just 3% of recruits entering the military through its recruitment centres in Northern Ireland came from the Republic.

The figure so far this year is 14%, and officers believe it will rise further.

Michael Godman, 19, from County Offaly, is one of those who would like to join the British military, hopefully to become a sniper.
He says he wanted to be a soldier from a young age and it was an easy decision to approach the British rather than the Irish military.
"The Irish Defence Force - as the name suggests - is a defence force, it's not an army," he says.

Ciaran Curran, 23, says he wants to join to experience a combat environment.

"A friend of mine joined a couple of years ago and he was out in Afghanistan this year with the Royal Irish Regiment. He got his action and I want mine," he says.


BBC News

These kids are joining the british army looking for an "adventure". They want to go to the middle east, shoot terrorists and play at being a soldier. The Republic's own military really is pathetic, the worst in Europe I recall a report not long back saying, so they'd never seriously look there for a chance to get their kicks. It probably is true that most of them don't think too much about the oath to the queen when they make it, but then most people dont think, full-stop.

For more than 80 years 26 counties of Ireland have been a sovereign country independent from britain - which is supposedly something we Irish are fiercely proud of. Why then do why find this happening? Why do these kids think it acceptable to join the british army?

The elephant in the room no one wants to mention is just how close to britain Ireland is. The same people who will drunkenly belt out Amhrán Na bhFiann at Croke Park once a year are the same that will slavishly follow the various bits of trash that comes out of the british media every other day of the year. Much as we like to paint ourselves in a green and glowingly fenian light, the reality is that we normally only pay lip-service to the Irishness we say makes us so distinct. We are a cultural province of britain, a colonial marketplace for british peddlers and have been for years. The fervour sparked by the war for independence has gradually dissipated over the handful of generations that've followed it, in all perhaps but the 6 northern counties. The old routine never really went away. dominated by british commerce, media, language, fashion and ideas - the only alternative to which our political leaders have ever provided is that we make prostitute ourselves to the USA or to mainland Europe instead - we have no truely strong sense of being Irish that definitively separates us from being british.

This must change if we are to save ourselves from complete destruction as a distinct people. If we had good quality, rigorous military service for youngsters perhaps we wouldn't have them looking to join the dubious crusades of foreign armies - perhaps also they'd be better disciplined, in better physical shape and have a deeper sense of duty toward their nation & community. Perhaps if our media, politics and culture weren't all directly lifted from britain our youth might better know the difference between being Irish and being british. Perhaps indeed.