Irish in the British Armed Forces

davrho

kingofthe3rdyrs wrote: »

What of those people who would join the Irish army but it is too boring and instead they go to the British army so they can be out there in the action?

What do you mean by boring?

lcrcboy

kingofthe3rdyrs wrote: »

What of those people who would join the Irish army but it is too boring and instead they go to the British army so they can be out there in the action?

I would just stay in the Irish Army personally. I presume I am less likely to be shot or blown up that way...

this often happens people see the Irish army as neutral and there for not going to par-take in any action so they look twords other options such as the American and British army

sherdydan

Mr Smithers wrote: »

When you take out British Citizenship you pledge allegiance to The Queen. I ceased to be Irish the day I got my certificate from the Home Office. I had great fun in the officers mess burning my irish passport.

well minidazzler, does that sound like pride to you?

Its fukcing disgraceful is what it is. Go **** the queen and suck prince phillips dick you limey fcuk.

Indubitable

davrho wrote: »

What do you mean by boring?

Well not as in nothing to do but I imagine that a neutral army would not be as action packed as the likes of the British or American armies for those thrill-seekers who wish to be on the frontline in the likes of Afghanistan. I doubt there are many of those people though.

ColeTrain

Mr Smithers wrote: »

When you take out British Citizenship you pledge allegiance to The Queen. I ceased to be Irish the day I got my certificate from the Home Office. I had great fun in the officers mess burning my irish passport.

http://www.crystalyacht.com/images/fishing.jpg


That's what your at.

It wasn't me!

kingofthe3rdyrs wrote: »

Well not as in nothing to do but I imagine that a neutral army would not be as action packed as the likes of the British or American armies for those thrill-seekers who wish to be on the frontline in the likes of Afghanistan. I doubt there are many of those people though.

There are enough to keep the British Army at full strength, or near enough it.

Sonnenblumen

sherdydan wrote: »

sorry, i had to write a response to this. the brighton, birmingham, warrington and canary wharf bombings, were all legitimate targets, hit by freedom fighters who were fighting a legitimate war against an invading nation.

You are confusing war with terrorism. 'Freedom' for whom? Most peace loving and law abiding Irish people abhor violence in all forms especially indiscriminate acts. Many of the victims of car bombs in UK were ordinary people going about their daily lives (work or leisure). People that kill innocent members of the general public eg in pubs are murderers. Few apart from extremists would consider such victims as 'legitimate'. In fact not only did the Irish in Britain suffer discrimination for years at the hands of your UK equivalent extreme views but also Irish people in Ireland suffered. Many Irish people live in UK and most are very happy. UK has and remains Ireland's biggest trading Partner, we share more in common and we can argue about what might be described as probably minor differences.

Extreme views have been rejected by the moral majority including the representatives of the perpetrators. Killing innocent people is no just cause and it is a pity that you retain such archaic and unrepresentative views and masquerade them in the cause of freedom.

Such views have nothing to do with 1916 Rising and certainly did nothing to further the cause of a united Ireland. Indiscriminate violence affects everyone.

Fratton Fred

sherdydan wrote: »

well minidazzler, does that sound like pride to you?

Its fukcing disgraceful is what it is. Go **** the queen and suck prince phillips dick you limey fcuk.

And there folks, we see just why the Republican movement has such a bad name.

Fratton Fred

sherdydan wrote: »

I agree with you, in the here and now, there is absoloutely no need for violence. i also lived in the UK, my first 9 years of life were spent in the UK. I dont have hatred towards the British. Wouldnt be my favourite nationality, but aint the worst. but i still think our citizens should not join the army of another nations army, that still occupy a section of our territory!

Not been living in Ireland long then.

lcrcboy

kingofthe3rdyrs wrote: »

He is probably trolling you for cheap lulz

I agree not worth commenting back to

curadh

Just in response to the OP's question.

In my opinion as a proud Irish man with a proud heritage, absolutely not ok.
I would sooner die than do anything under the flag of those who threatened at one point to wipe my ancestors and therefore me from the face of the planet.

Im sick of listening to blow in's talk of all the good england has done for us blind as to their motives. Look at Tesco, for example. Sure, employment etc, but english chain with a money train back to engerland.

Fact is most 'irish' bloodlines are watered down by english rule, so in essence the joke is on 'us'.

Go fight for the british army, please, pretty please, just means there'll be one less judas in our ranks.

Wolfe Tone

Fratton Fred wrote: »

Not been living in Ireland long then.

To be fair there are many many thousands who are living in the North who do not want to be ruled by Britain. So were they live is indeed occupied Irish territory. Might be a debate for another day though.

Krusader

He took the bait alright


I think a lot of Irishman who join the British Army are just men who desperately want to be soldiers and probably didn't get accepted into the Defence forces for whatever reason, so they tried their arm in the British army

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

Fratton Fred wrote: »

And there folks, we see just why the Republican movement has such a bad name.

Really? I thought it was the indiscriminate killings they practiced in the 80s and 90s

Sanjuro

Didn't anyone see Braveheart? You know that bit where they 'send in the Irish' because they consider us expendable? And then, when they think we're going to fight the Scots, we shake hands with them and then turn and fight the Englishes soldiers? We got our revenge. Cant we just move on?!

dr.bollocko

sherdydan banned for the vile message above.
kingofthe3rdyrs don't post in this thread again.

davrho

kingofthe3rdyrs wrote: »

Well not as in nothing to do but I imagine that a neutral army would not be as action packed as the likes of the British or American armies for those thrill-seekers who wish to be on the frontline in the likes of Afghanistan. I doubt there are many of those people though.

Thrillseekers should be allowed no where near a legal armed army.

Wolfe Tone

Sanjuro wrote: »

Didn't anyone see Braveheart? You know that bit where they 'send in the Irish' because they consider us expendable? And then, when they think we're going to fight the Scots, we shake hands with them and then turn and fight the Englishes soldiers? We got our revenge. Cant we just move on?!

I loled

Wolfe Tone

Ikky Poo2 wrote: »

Really? I thought it was the indiscriminate killings they practiced in the 80s and 90s

The Armalite is totally discarded now.

Gunnerkid

jaysus :eek::eek: didint expect this thread to kick off this much hahahaha Im not a reporter or journalist kind of wish I was....um I dont really care if a irish person joins the british army all I have to them is stay safe.

Ill let the rest of ye get back to your argument :D:D:D:D

Wolfe Tone

Gunnerkid wrote: »

jaysus :eek::eek: didint expect this thread to kick off this much hahahaha Im not a reporter or journalist kind of wish I was....um I dont really care if a irish person joins the british army all I have to them is stay safe.

Ill let the rest of ye get back to your argument :D:D:D:D

If you dont care then why make a thread? There is worms all over the shop now!

kildare9

I clicked the 'no' option. I dont understand why a person from the Republic of Ireland would fight for the British army.

Gunnerkid

MUSSOLINI wrote: »

If you dont care then why make a thread? There is worms all over the shop now!

just wanted to see the opinions of others with a clear poll

Wolfe Tone

Well you sure got one! (un?)Fortunately Boards is not very reflective of Irish society in general.

minidazzler

sherdydan wrote: »

well minidazzler, does that sound like pride to you?

I realise you are banned, but will no doubt rereg, so I will reply.

That's not pride, but whoever said everyone who joined was proud to be Irish?

Sonnenblumen

curadh wrote: »

Just in response to the OP's question.

In my opinion as a proud Irish man with a proud heritage, absolutely not ok.
I would sooner die than do anything under the flag of those who threatened at one point to wipe my ancestors and therefore me from the face of the planet.

Im sick of listening to blow in's talk of all the good england has done for us blind as to their motives. Look at Tesco, for example. Sure, employment etc, but english chain with a money train back to engerland.

Fact is most 'irish' bloodlines are watered down by english rule, so in essence the joke is on 'us'.

Go fight for the british army, please, pretty please, just means there'll be one less judas in our ranks.

and what of the many foreigners who gave their lives so that you can boast with pride of your Irish heritage?

minidazzler

MUSSOLINI wrote: »

Well you sure got one! (un?)Fortunately Boards is not very reflective of Irish society in general.

Actually it is, given the large majority here are Irish. Particularily those posting in this thread.

How is it not very reflective of Irish society in general?

Our man in Havana

MUSSOLINI wrote: »

Well you sure got one! (un?)Fortunately Boards is not very reflective of Irish society in general.

Nor is Sinn Féin.

Wolfe Tone

minidazzler wrote: »

Actually it is, given the large majority here are Irish. Particularily those posting in this thread.

How is it not very reflective of Irish society in general?

Because it tends to be just one section of society. A simple example is that there is much more men than women.

Haddockman wrote: »

Nor is Sinn Féin.

I never claimed it was? It represents the Nationalist voice in the North to a very great degree. How does claiming that a message board is not representative of Irish society in general anyway related to SF?

starbelgrade

MUSSOLINI wrote: »

Well you sure got one! (un?)Fortunately Boards is not very reflective of Irish society in general.

Fortunately I think it is, otherwise, you'd hear a lot more people spouting off sh*te about the heroes of 1916 every time the British Army is mentioned.

minidazzler

MUSSOLINI wrote: »

Because it tends to be just one section of society. A simple example is that there is much more men than women.

Have you met anyone from boards?

I have met a good number, they tend to come from all backgrounds TBH. We do not fit one mould here, it is a very good cross-section from Ireland.

There are fewer women here than men, but that's just the nature of Internet forums.

Wolfe Tone

minidazzler wrote: »

Have you met anyone from boards?

I have met a good number, they tend to come from all backgrounds TBH. We do not fit one mould here, it is a very good cross-section from Ireland.

There are fewer women here than men, but that's just the nature of Internet forums.

No, I have only joined recently, but every other boards i have been on has tended to be mainly people of student age to mid 30s. Of course not everyone would have an interest in this thread if you follow me? Bu we can agree to disagree then

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

MUSSOLINI wrote: »

The Armalite is totally discarded now.

Irish people are not very good at forgetting history though.

Wolfe Tone

Ikky Poo2 wrote: »

Irish people are not very good at forgetting history though.

I get your point, well played! But this debate isn't about republicans or SF it is about Irish people joining the BA. But as a republican myself I can assure you that I have never harmed anyone in my entire life.

kildare9

Is this actually happening though? are there much Irishmen joining the British army?

davrho

minidazzler wrote: »

Actually it is

No it is not. This board had massive support for headshops to remain selling their goods in their polls but not one politician would put this forward as their mandate. Internet polls are not reflective on the publics perception. Plenty of examples to prove this, off the top of my head -A Nation Once Again being the beebs favorite song and Paddy McCourt scoring last seasons best goal.

Off topic i admitt but reading into internet polls is not true to form with the real story.

Our man in Havana

kildare9 wrote: »

Is this actually happening though? are there much Irishmen joining the British army?

A fair few do. Same as a fair few join the PSNI or other UK police forces.

Wolfe Tone

kildare9 wrote: »

Is this actually happening though? are there much Irishmen joining the British army?

Well considering we have had a few first hand accounts in this thread yes.

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

MUSSOLINI wrote: »

I get your point, well played! But this debate isn't about republicans or SF it is about Irish people joining the BA. But as a republican myself I can assure you that I have never harmed anyone in my entire life.

Hey, never doubte you for a second!!

We have drifted off-topic though. Me? I'd I'd kill myself before I joined an army. That said, what's wrong with the Irish one? Or what's so good about the British one? Why have I now got Private Pile's image in my head...? Or Jack Black from "Mars Attacks"?

lcrcboy

kildare9 wrote: »

Is this actually happening though? are there much Irishmen joining the British army?

apparently in 2008 16% of recruits in N. Ireland came from the south and this number is on the increase not to shure on actual figures got this of wikipediea

link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recruitment_in_the_British_Army

Wolfe Tone

Ikky Poo2 wrote: »

Hey, never doubte you for a second!!

We have drifted off-topic though. Me? I'd I'd kill myself before I joined an army. That said, what's wrong with the Irish one? Or what's so good about the British one? Why have I now got Private Pile's image in my head...? Or Jack Black from "Mars Attacks"?

In my mind: Irish Army is for Irish people.
British Army is for British people.

kildare9

MUSSOLINI wrote: »

In my mind: Irish Army is for Irish people.
British Army is for British people.

Completely agree. I just dont understand how someone could go out to Afghanistan/Iraq/Israel, etc and take a bullet for a country you have nothing to do with. If your Irish join the Irish army

dr.bollocko

kildare9 wrote: »

Completely agree. I just dont understand how someone could go out to Afghanistan/Iraq/Israel, etc and take a bullet for a country you have nothing to do with. If your Irish join the Irish army

One would presume that one army is hiring a hell of a lot more than the other.

Wolfe Tone

dr.bollocko wrote: »

One would presume that one army is hiring a hell of a lot more than the other.

One of course needs replacements. Shame that some "Irish" are willing to fill them.

rainbow kirby

Personally, I don't have a problem with Irish people joining the British armed forces. My uncle did 20 years in the BA, tried to join the Irish army first when he was 17 but they weren't recruiting at the time so he joined the BA instead. He just wanted the military life, didn't really care what flag he fought under.

Wolfe Tone

How could you not care who you fought for? Surely that is one of the most important things? Surely people dont join to fight for fightings sake?

starbelgrade

MUSSOLINI wrote: »

In my mind: Irish Army is for Irish people.
British Army is for British people.

This is a local army, for local people.

Wolfe Tone

starbelgrade wrote: »

This is a local army, for local people.

? Sorry you've lost me there. And and that note Im off to the scratcher, I will be back to debate more tomorrow (I'm sure you will be delighted to hear!)

starbelgrade

MUSSOLINI wrote: »

? Sorry you've lost me there. And and that note Im off to the scratcher, I will be back to debate more tomorrow (I'm sure you will be delighted to hear!)

FYP

It wasn't me!

rainbow kirby wrote: »

He just wanted the military life, didn't really care what flag he fought under.

This is the crux of it, for a huge number of people, and I number myself among them. The Defence Forces is my first choice, due to proximity and the fact that I wouldn't have to move from my family and friends, and for somewhat improved training opportunities and prospects for my hopeful shooting career, which the BA's deployment rota and frequent moves would make more difficult. However, in the event that I'm unsuccessful in my application to the Defence Forces, I'll try the BA, because it's a vocation, it's not all about patriotism and loyalties aren't to flags or countries, but to bonds with the soldiers around you. You're part of an organic machine, with a cohesion and a culture and a tradition that's just not going to be matched in civilian life, anywhere. That's what it's all about. Flags are just pretty colours, politicians are just different names to bitch and moan about, the uniform is just another set of work clothes and the job's pretty much the same wherever you do it, but it's the culture and the strength of the relationships that draw people, the promise of being made as good as you can be. It's why I'm going to do it, it's why many others I know have done it and it's why people have done it for a long time, and will continue to do it long into the future.