Military history of Ireland explained

The military history of Ireland comprises thousands of years of armed actions in the territory encompassing the island of Ireland.

Ireland was never invaded by the Roman Empire, and the island remained a warring collection of separate kingdoms throughout its early history. Although it is known that the Romans traded with the Irish kingdoms, historically it was thought that the Romans never established a military presence in Ireland. In recent times the find of ruins of a possibly Roman fort in Drumanagh near Dublin has questioned this belief.^[1]

After the November 2015 Paris attacks killed more than 130 people in France, the French government invoked a mutual defence clause of the Treaty of Lisbon, asking for military assistance from the European Union. The Irish government agreed to deploy peacekeeping troops to Mali in order to free up French troops stationed there for deployment elsewhere.^[2]

Royal Air Force stations in Northern Ireland

Name	Opened	Closed	Current use	Notes
	February 1918			^[3]
	June 1941	February 1946	Ballyhalbert Caravan Park	^[4]
	June 1941	June 1971		^[5]
	April 1943	December 1990	Bishopscourt Racing Circuit	^[6]
	May 1944	May 1945	Slipway	^[7]
	February 1941	January 1958	Castle Archdale Caravan Park & Camping Site	^[8]
	October 1942	1959	Ardboe Business Park	^[9]
	April 1941			^[10]
	July 1942	1947	Farmland	^[11]
	March 1941	May 1947	Marina	^[12]
	July 1941	1946	Kirkistown Circuit	^[13]
RAF Langford Lodge No. 20 SLG	May 1941	1953	Industry	^[14]
	December 1940	1958	Aghanloo Industrial Estate	^[15]
	November 1941	October 1947	Balmoral Park	^[16]
RAF Maghaberry No. 101 Storage Sub Site	November 1941	1950s	Maghaberry Solar Farm	^[17]
	April 1941	1947	Maydown Industrial Estate	^[18]
	August 1942	1946	Aghadowey Stadium	^[19]
RAF Murlough No. 19 SLG	March 1941	February 1945	Farmland	^[20]
	August 1934			^[21]
	June 1941	September 1963	Nutt's Corner Circuit	^[22]
	1918	1930s	Farmland	^[23]
	1930s	1940s	Marina	^[24]
RAF St Angelo No. 18 SLG No. 106 Storage Sub Site	April 1941			^[25]
	1933			^[26]
	January 1943	1969	Creagh Industrial Park	^[27]

Former Royal Air Force airfields in the Republic

Name	Opened	Closed	Current use	Notes
	August 1918	April 1920		^[28]
	August 1918	April 1920		^[29]
	May 1918	February 1922		^[30]
	December 1917	February 1920		^[31]
	May 1918	February 1922		^[32]
				Detachment of No. 2 Squadron during 1913
Rathbone Camp (Birr)	September 1913	September 1913		^[33]
	May 1918	February 1922		^[34]
	May 1918	May 1921		^[35]

See also

• Irish History
• List of wars in Ireland
• List of conflicts in Ireland
• Irish Defence Forces
• Irish regiments of the British Army
• List of Irish uprisings
• Irish military diaspora

References

Bibliography

• https://web.archive.org/web/20160313105450/http://archaeologyuk.org/ba/ba14/BA14FEAT.HTML
• Book: Jefford . C.G. . RAF Squadrons. A comprehensive record of the movement and equipment of all RAF squadrons and their antecedents since 1912 . 1988 . Airlife . . 1-85310-053-6 .
• Book: Holmes, Richard. Richard Holmes (military historian)

. Richard Holmes (military historian). Redcoat: The British soldier in the Age of Horse and Musket. London. HarperCollins. 2002. 0-00-653152-0.

• Book: Murphy, David. David Murphy (author)

. David Murphy (author). Irish Regiments in the World Wars. London. Osprey Publishing. 2007. 978-1-84603-015-4 .

Notes and References

1. Web site: British Archaeology, no 14, May 1996: Features . Archaeologyuk.org . 2016-04-20 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20160313105450/http://archaeologyuk.org/ba/ba14/BA14FEAT.HTML . 13 March 2016 .
2. News: Irish troops set for Africa to ease burden on France. 18 November 2015. 20 November 2015. Independent.ie.
3. Web site: Aldergrove (Belfast) (Crumlin) . Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. 17 September 2022.
4. Web site: Ballyhalbert . Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. 17 September 2022.
5. Web site: Ballykelly . Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. 17 September 2022.
6. Web site: Bishops Court . Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. 17 September 2022.
7. Web site: Boa Island (Rock Bay) . Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. 17 September 2022.
8. Web site: Castle Archdale (Lough Erne) . Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. 17 September 2022.
9. Web site: Cluntoe . Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. 17 September 2022.
10. Web site: Eglinton (City of Derry) (Londonderry) . Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. 17 September 2022.
11. Web site: Greencastle (Kilkeel) . Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. 17 September 2022.
12. Web site: Killadeas . Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. 17 September 2022.
13. Web site: Kirkistown . Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. 17 September 2022.
14. Web site: Langford Lodge . Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. 17 September 2022.
15. Web site: Limavady . Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. 17 September 2022.
16. Web site: Long Kesh . Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. 17 September 2022.
17. Web site: Maghaberry . Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. 17 September 2022.
18. Web site: Maydown . Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. 17 September 2022.
19. Web site: Mullaghmore . Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. 17 September 2022.
20. Web site: Murlough (Dundrum) . Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. 17 September 2022.
21. Web site: Newtownards (Ards) . Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. 17 September 2022.
22. Web site: Nutt's Corner (Belfast) . Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. 17 September 2022.
23. Web site: Omagh . Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. 17 September 2022.
24. Web site: Lough Neagh (Sandy Bay) . Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. 17 September 2022.
25. Web site: St. Angelo (Ballycassidy) (Enniskillen) . Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. 17 September 2022.
26. Web site: Sydenham (Belfast City) (George Best Belfast City) . Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. 17 September 2022.
27. Web site: Toome . Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. 17 September 2022.
28. Web site: Gormanston . Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. 17 September 2022.
29. Web site: Tallaght . Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. 17 September 2022.
30. Web site: Baldonnel (Casement) . Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. 17 September 2022.
31. Web site: The Curragh . Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. 17 September 2022.
32. Web site: Fermoy . Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. 17 September 2022.
33. Web site: Birr (Rathbone Camp) . Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. 17 September 2022.
34. Web site: Oranmore . Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. 17 September 2022.
35. Web site: Castlebar . Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. 17 September 2022.