Military history of Ireland

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

The Battle of Clontarf in 1014 saw a large force of Vikings and their Irish allies defeated by the forces of the High King 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

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Name Opened Closed Current use Notes
RAF Aldergrove February 1918 Joint Helicopter Command Flying Station Aldergrove [3]
RAF Ballyhalbert June 1941 February 1946 Ballyhalbert Caravan Park [4]
RAF Ballykelly June 1941 June 1971 [5]
RAF Bishops Court April 1943 December 1990 Bishopscourt Racing Circuit [6]
RAF Boa Island May 1944 May 1945 Slipway [7]
RAF Castle Archdale February 1941 January 1958 Castle Archdale Caravan Park & Camping Site [8]
RAF Cluntoe October 1942 1959 Ardboe Business Park [9]
RAF Eglinton April 1941 City of Derry Airport [10]
RAF Greencastle July 1942 1947 Farmland [11]
RAF Killadeas March 1941 May 1947 Marina [12]
RAF Kirkistown July 1941 1946 Kirkistown Circuit [13]
RAF Langford Lodge
No. 20 SLG
May 1941 1953 Industry [14]
RAF Limavady December 1940 1958 Aghanloo Industrial Estate [15]
RAF Long Kesh November 1941 October 1947 Balmoral Park [16]
RAF Maghaberry
No. 101 Storage Sub Site
November 1941 1950s Maghaberry Solar Farm [17]
RAF Maydown April 1941 1947 Maydown Industrial Estate [18]
RAF Mullaghmore August 1942 1946 Aghadowey Stadium [19]
RAF Murlough
No. 19 SLG
March 1941 February 1945 Farmland [20]
RAF Newtownards August 1934 Newtownards Airport [21]
RAF Nutts Corner June 1941 September 1963 Nutt's Corner Circuit [22]
RAF Omagh 1918 1930s Farmland [23]
RAF Sandy Bay 1930s 1940s Marina [24]
RAF St Angelo
No. 18 SLG
No. 106 Storage Sub Site
April 1941 Enniskillen/St Angelo Airport [25]
RAF Sydenham 1933 George Best Belfast City Airport [26]
RAF Toome January 1943 1969 Creagh Industrial Park [27]

Former Royal Air Force airfields in the Republic

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Name Opened Closed Current use Notes
Gormanston August 1918 April 1920 [28]
Tallaght August 1918 April 1920 [29]
Baldonnel May 1918 February 1922 [30]
The Curragh December 1917 February 1920 [31]
Fermoy May 1918 February 1922 [32]
Limerick Detachment of No. 2 Squadron during 1913[33]
Rathbone Camp (Birr) September 1913 September 1913 [34]
Oranmore May 1918 February 1922 [35]
Castlebar May 1918 May 1921 [36]

See also

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References

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Citations

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  1. ^ "British Archaeology, no 14, May 1996: Features". Archaeologyuk.org. Archived from the original on 13 March 2016. Retrieved 20 April 2016.
  2. ^ "Irish troops set for Africa to ease burden on France". Independent.ie. 18 November 2015. Retrieved 20 November 2015.
  3. ^ "Aldergrove (Belfast) (Crumlin)". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 17 September 2022.
  4. ^ "Ballyhalbert". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 17 September 2022.
  5. ^ "Ballykelly". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 17 September 2022.
  6. ^ "Bishops Court". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 17 September 2022.
  7. ^ "Boa Island (Rock Bay)". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 17 September 2022.
  8. ^ "Castle Archdale (Lough Erne)". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 17 September 2022.
  9. ^ "Cluntoe". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 17 September 2022.
  10. ^ "Eglinton (City of Derry) (Londonderry)". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 17 September 2022.
  11. ^ "Greencastle (Kilkeel)". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 17 September 2022.
  12. ^ "Killadeas". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 17 September 2022.
  13. ^ "Kirkistown". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 17 September 2022.
  14. ^ "Langford Lodge". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 17 September 2022.
  15. ^ "Limavady". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 17 September 2022.
  16. ^ "Long Kesh". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 17 September 2022.
  17. ^ "Maghaberry". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 17 September 2022.
  18. ^ "Maydown". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 17 September 2022.
  19. ^ "Mullaghmore". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 17 September 2022.
  20. ^ "Murlough (Dundrum)". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 17 September 2022.
  21. ^ "Newtownards (Ards)". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 17 September 2022.
  22. ^ "Nutt's Corner (Belfast)". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 17 September 2022.
  23. ^ "Omagh". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 17 September 2022.
  24. ^ "Lough Neagh (Sandy Bay)". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 17 September 2022.
  25. ^ "St. Angelo (Ballycassidy) (Enniskillen)". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 17 September 2022.
  26. ^ "Sydenham (Belfast City) (George Best Belfast City)". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 17 September 2022.
  27. ^ "Toome". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 17 September 2022.
  28. ^ "Gormanston". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 17 September 2022.
  29. ^ "Tallaght". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 17 September 2022.
  30. ^ "Baldonnel (Casement)". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 17 September 2022.
  31. ^ "The Curragh". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 17 September 2022.
  32. ^ "Fermoy". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 17 September 2022.
  33. ^ Jefford 1988, p. 23.
  34. ^ "Birr (Rathbone Camp)". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 17 September 2022.
  35. ^ "Oranmore". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 17 September 2022.
  36. ^ "Castlebar". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 17 September 2022.

Bibliography

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