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RMR Teaching in The Curragh

  • 25-12-2009 7:20pm
    #1
    Steyr
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,266 ✭✭✭


    http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/portrushborn-british-soldier-in-curragh-training-first-14607336.html?startindex=-1

    Portrush-born British soldier in Curragh training first


    A Portrush-born soldier has become the first British officer to instruct at the Curragh camp since 1922 when Ireland became a Free State.


    Lt Col Mark McKinney, 44, spent eight days helping teach human rights and humanitarian law at the Irish Defence Forces' UN training centre.

    Lt Col McKinney, who now lives near Perth in Scotland, is a member of the Dundee detachment of the Royal Marines Reserve Scotland. He is in charge of civil and military co-operation.

    "I am immensely proud and humbled that a reservist was offered such a positive ground-breaking opportunity," he said.

    "I am personally delighted that we have strengthened our already good relationship with the Defence Forces and I am looking forward to a regular exchange of students and instructors on all our courses, which will continue to foster good relations with our NATO and EU allies."

    The course also taught negotiation and mediation techniques, working with non-governmental organisations.

    Lt Col McKinney spent 17 years as a regular in the Royal Marines and completed five tours there.

    He has worked in planning for the UN mission in Liberia where he worked closely with the Defence Forces.

    And he maintains that without the efforts of the 90th Infantry Battalion and the Special Operations Task Group provided by the Defence Forces, the mission would almost certainly have failed.

    The mission, however, went on to be a complete success and Liberia now has the first ever female president in Africa and enjoys a peace and stability uncommon in the region.

    It was the close relationship built up over his seven months in West Africa that later enabled a link to be developed for joint civil/military co-operation training.


Comments

  • #2
    cork1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 443 ✭✭cork1


    its good to see people can bury the hatchet and get the job done.


  • #3
    Hard Larry
    Closed Accounts Posts: 670 ✭✭✭Hard Larry


    Hmm I remember an Officer from the Tank Regiment trained in the Curragh with the Armoured Squadron I don't think this has been the first incident of this.

    Plenty of Irish soldiers have gone on courses in England with the BA/RN/RAF and I (along with others) ended up outside the British Consulate/Embassy in Pristina on Guard Duty one winters evening.

    Its hardly a groundbreaking event IMO.


  • #4
    sunnyjim
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,302 ✭✭✭sunnyjim


    And orders aside, you didn't mind guarding a british institution? I'm just curious, not poking/prevoking.


  • #5
    Hard Larry
    Closed Accounts Posts: 670 ✭✭✭Hard Larry


    sunnyjim wrote: »
    And orders aside, you didn't mind guarding a british institution? I'm just curious, not poking/prevoking.

    Orders is orders mate, we all wore the KFOR flash, I'd be a liar if i said there was no pissing and moaning but you'd be a fool to think that if it had been, for example, the German or French Embassy that troops still wouldn't be moaning.


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