A new adventure…

In some personal new I am pleased to announce that I’m joining the RNLI as Area Technical Manager for the South East.I’m delighted to take up this new role supporting the incredible work of this vital rescue service, especially as they celebrate their 200th anniversary this year.A huge thank you to everyone at Sirus for... Continue Reading →

A long week down.

The end of a long week. I was reflecting on the transition from service, especially given the extraordinary display of skill and commitment by the Defence Forces, and the Joint Task Force this week. The Army, Naval Service, Air Corps, and Army Ranger Wing in particular to the fore in an arduous, complex, and important... Continue Reading →

Fair winds and following seas

At 2359hrs, I officially retire from permanent service with An tSeirbhís Chabhlaigh after 25 years, 3 months, and 3 days. Thank you to my wonderful family for everything they have endured over the years of my service. It is your love, strength, and support which makes all things possible. To my comrades and colleagues, and... Continue Reading →

The EU, Irish Defence Forces, and Contemporary Security.

“The EU, Irish Defence Forces, and Contemporary Security”, Palgrave Macmillan, forthcoming 2022.Jonathan Carroll, Mark Williams & Matthew O’Neill. (Editors) Jonathan Carroll, Mark Williams, and Matthew O’Neill are co-editors of this new edited volume on the Irish Defence Forces entitled “The EU, Irish Defence Forces, and Contemporary Security.” It shall be published by Palgrave Macmillan in... Continue Reading →

Making a Living Podcast

I had the great pleasure to take part in the Making a Living Podcast with Brendan Fitzgerald. On Brendan's own YouTube channel you'll find this information: "MAKING A LIVING WITH BRENDAN FITZGERALD", THE PREMISE - Choosing the right path for our future is never easy and the more insights we can gain from people who... Continue Reading →

75 Years of Service.

Reproduced here with the kind permission of the Editor of An Cosantóir, this is my article which featured in Special Commemorative Edition on the occasion of the Naval Service 75th Anniversary. The celebration of the 75th anniversary of the Naval Service is a milestone in the long and rich history of service. No celebration could... Continue Reading →

The Fate of the PVs.

Reproduced here with the kind permission of the Editor of An Cosantóir, this is my article which featured in Special Commemorative Edition on the occasion of the Naval Service 75th Anniversary. They were the ships onboard which a generation of sailors came of age, and they lead the way for others to follow. Built in... Continue Reading →

The Curvature of Cork

Curvature of Cork,breaking free of static lines,blending ancient bridges,with sharp edged blocks,scraggly trees,and pavement gazing pedestrians. Rushing head long,into the event horizon,when distant melts,will raise the waters,wash out the swamp,for a final time. Pleas will be hurled,prayers incanted,as the great and good,are carried downstream,like petrified timber,ripped from the Gearagh. Concrete and brick crumbles,high tide lines... Continue Reading →

Over the Deck

Twelve feet above the deck,The smell can make you gag,Five hundred salt water soaked,Unwashed humans in forty degrees, Make a few bad jokes to cover up your shame,That your stomach churned at scabies riddled teenager,Sunglasses will hide guilty eyes,To mask your revulsion, Overcompensate later by giving an extra ration,To a brown-eyed child,Draped from shoulder to... Continue Reading →

21st Day of September.

On the 21st day of September, On the International Day of Peace, Conflicts rage across the planet, People die from twenty-cent Czech bullets, Five-yuan Chinese machetes, Two-hundred-ruble Belarusian boots, Six-hundred-dollar vigilante assault rifles, And one-hundred-and-seventy-thousand-dollar bombs, A response to headlines screaming terror, Yet poverty culls far more, But that cannot fuel the industry, So demagogues... Continue Reading →

Pulpit Musketry

 Pulpit Musketry. People’s charity was only meant to stretch,To putting a penny into a ceramic head,Brown people turning up on the doorstepWasn't ever part of the deal. We brought them sanitationFor accepting subjugation,Ornamentation for the gallowsTo reward rebellion. Grateful fawning over infested blanketsWas the only response necessary,Decades of the rosary ensuring resurrection,The power of the... Continue Reading →

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