Outside of their own country, I’m not sure people know much about the Irish Defence Forces. I’ll be honest, even though I’m often in Ireland, I didn’t know much about its military organization either. But then I was invited to attend a Christmas dinner put on by the officers of the 3rd Infantry Battalion. I went as a sort of tagalong because two US Air Force friends happen to know the battalion commander, and they were going over for the event. Never one to turn down a trip to Ireland, last weekend I grabbed my Navy mess dress and hopped over the Irish Sea to discover what the Irish Army was all about. I can tell you that I learned quite a bit.

From the moment I arrived until the time I boarded a bus back to the airport, I experienced a profound appreciation for the professionalism, esprit de corps and sense of tradition exhibited by this contingent of soldiers. “The Bloods” as they call themselves.

The following is a bit of what I discovered:

A quick sketch of The Bloods: they are Ireland’s oldest battalion and are located in Kilkenny, the heart of the country’s hurling capital. Like the rest of their counterparts in the Defense Forces (or Óglaigh na hÉireann if you are keen on the Irish language), the 3 Inf Bn have deployed to places where they have either a UN, EU or parliamentary approved mandate. Since 1958, Ireland has had a continuous presence in peacekeeping operations globally. Think Kosovo, Ivory Coast, Afghanistan, Syria and the Golan Heights. While at home (and when not training for conventional military tasks), their missions include liaising with the national police and assisting the community in the aftermath of bad storms, to name a recent example. For a country with a long-established record for neutrality, Ireland clearly manages to accomplish a heck of a lot both domestically and abroad with its small, all-volunteer force.

Once we arrived in Kilkenny, the commanding officer of The Bloods, Lt Col Stephen Ryan, was enthusiastic to show us three Yanks around. Standing nearly 6’5 and claiming 31 years of Army service, Steve is easily known and truly enjoys interacting with the community. As we walked down High Street, the city was buzzing with last-minute Christmas shoppers. Even the mayor was out as we popped into a newly-opened shop that had a radio station broadcasting live from inside. The mayor, Joe Malone, was once a soldier in the Barracks, and he exchanged some words with Steve before conducting an interview with the radio show host. After Mayor Malone spoke, Steve took the mic and spoke a bit about the Christmas dinner as well as the holiday fundraising that his battalion had done to support the Mayor’s Christmas Appeal.

In the days leading up to the Christmas Dinner, The Bloods took to the streets of Kilkenny and crooned their way to a new fundraising record in support of the community’s less fortunate. The soldiers rounded up santa hats, carol sheets and even their mascot, an Irish wolfhound puppy, as they brightened the streets near Stephens Barracks. I didn’t get to hear them sing, but from the photographs and witnessing the appreciation expressed by the mayor, their efforts were a big hit.

But raising cash for charity isn’t the only way that The Bloods have woven themselves into the community. As Steve told us more about the night’s dinner festivities, he let us know that there’d be non-military invitees seated at our table. Three Irish artists, each well-established in their own discipline, would be joining us. It would seem that the 3 Inf Bn have commissioned their work on various occasions. Just at the beginning of this month, for example, artist Mick O’Dea gifted a painting of Michael Collins (another military man, to say the very least) as he presided over a 1921 hurling final between Kilkenny and Dublin. Mick had used the Stephens Barracks as a studio during the Kilkenny’s annual arts festival.

Back to our preparations for the big dinner.  Back on High Street Steve had finished his radio interview, and as I stood alongside him he suddenly whispered to me that I’d be interviewed. Me?!? What the heck do I have to say about Christmas in Kilkenny– apart from he fact that I was thrilled to be back here after almost 20 years?  No matter, soon enough the microphone was in my face and I spoke a bit about how honored I was to be in town at such a special time of year.

It hardly seemed like the blink of an eye before I suddenly found myself back at the hotel room and trying to remember how to assemble my mess dress. This is the uniform that we wear only once in a blue moon, and as such it takes a bit more time to fiddle with the gold buttons, the mini medals and the wide gold cummerbund that somehow seems to hold you together. But I managed to square myself away and make head to the lobby in time to meet up with my fellow Americans– who looked very dashing in their Air Force dress uniform. We were ready to head to the pub.

Yes, before heading to Stephens Barracks, we first had to make a stop at decent watering hole. This is Ireland after all, and I can think of no better way to kick off an event than by ducking into a pub for a pint. The entire officer corps of the 3 Inf Bn was packed inside, and their sharp black and red dress uniforms made the civilian locals look downright out of place as they sipped their pints and ignored the fact that we had them surrounded. Just as the noise level began top out and mangle our voices together, that’s when the piper came inside and caught our attention. Playing the Battalion’s marching tune, “Dawning of the Day”, he led the generals out of the pub and across the street to the barracks. The event had formally begun.

As we walked onto the grounds of the pristine barracks, we noted that it wasn’t all military drudgery. Across the grounds were blue twinkling Christmas lights and small cauldrons with candles burning that illuminated the walking path. We might not have had snow, but between the lights and our piper playing Christmas carols, the air felt absolutely electric.

Once through the front door we were warmly welcomed by the President of the Officer’s Mess who stood across from a hand carved manger display. My eye for all things West African spotted the fabric of the small table covering, and I asked if the set came from Africa. Indeed, it had been a set commissioned to be made while The Bloods had personnel serving in Mali. The modest nativity scene really underscored the global reach that this organization manages to achieve.

Once we signed the guest book, we were served glasses of mulled wine (with or without alcohol) and then gathered in the mess to await our movement to the dining area. Although we didn’t know a single officer other than Steve, we were warmly greeted by the Army officers. They pointed out the artwork of the mess, to include the many pieces on generous loan from Mick O’Dea (to include the one he gifted to The Bloods).

I’m going to fast-forward a bit and run you through dinner. It was a multi-course event that included a fantastic Christmas spread as well as outstanding banter at our particular table of artists and Americans. Yes, the food, drink and toasts were all wonderful– but I think what we remembered the most were the gestures of recognition performed by Steve and his crew towards the end of the night.

The motto of the Battalion is Dilis go Bráth or “Loyal to the end”. On this night The Bloods honored their brothers and sisters who were spending this Christmas in conflict zones abroad, just as they remembered those who had died while serving in the line of duty. They honored soldiers who had gotten married, had children, or were about to retire. They even did an on the spot promotion! They thanked the Mayor for attending, and presented him with a birthday cake. Finally, just before the benediction, the junior crew who had tirelessly worked to set up and cater the evening’s events were brought out from behind the scenes and paid a hearty round of applause.

If you couldn’t tell by how long this entry has gotten, it was past midnight by the time we left our tables and returned to the officer’s mess. Yes, back tok a pub. This is Ireland after all, and I can think of no better way to close out a night than with a pint or two. Just to give you the full effect of how the night closed out, I’ll post a few candid shots below. If you’re tired and want to go to bed, then I’ll forgive you for leaving off here. But if you do, you’ll miss something good:

So I don’t really know how to end this posting. Much like this night that saw us leaving the barracks in the wee hours of the morning, I still really don’t want the experience to end. I can speak for the Americans in saying that we felt incredibly honored to be included in a night of tradition and celebration for this proud officer corps. I went from not knowing a thing about the Irish Defence Forces to wondering if I had somehow joined the wrong military way back when I finished college. Maybe.

I’m thankful for the chance to have spent the  Christmas season with another military– but really what I’d like to do is express my gratitude to Lt Col Steve Ryan and the officers of Stephens Barracks. From what I saw last weekend, there is no doubt in my mind that if ever I find myself find myself in peril or simply in need of a great party, I will look to you for support. Dilis go Bráth. Nollaig Shona!