Army Reserve (Ireland)
| Army Reserve | |
|---|---|
| Irish: Cúltaca an Airm | |
Cap badge of the Defence Forces
|
|
| Active | 1 October 2005–present |
| Country |
 Ireland
|
| Branch | Army |
| Type | Military reserve force |
| Size | 2,188 active personnel (Nov 2015) |
| Part of |
Reserve Defence Forces
|
| Website | www |
The Army Reserve (AR) (Irish: Cúltaca an Airm) is the land component of Ireland's Reserve Defence Forces (RDF). It is the second line reserve of the Irish Army. The Army Reserve is a part-time voluntary organisation, and is one of two elements of the Reserve Defence Forces, the other element being the Naval Service Reserve.
It was established on 1 October 2005 to replace and reorganise the previous reserve organisation, and to improve training and courses similar to those of the professional Permanent Defence Forces (PDF). This reorganisation saw the creation of an overriding Reserve Defence Forces structure which spans both the Army and Naval Service Reserve.
Prior to the 2005 restructure, the land component of the reserve forces were known as the Fórsa Cosanta Áitiúil (FCÁ) (local defence force), which in turn has its origins in the units formed in 1920s.
In the years following the establishment of Defence Forces various classes of Army Reserves were experimented with. Between 1927 and 1939, these comprised several reserve classes.
In May 1927, the "Class A Reserve" was established and consisted of regular non-commissioned officers (NCOs) and men transferred to the Reserve. Though numbers never exceeded 5,000, they were the best trained of the reserves, with over 80% reporting annually for training.
In January 1928, the "Class B Reserve" was formed, with the object of building up the infantry arm of the Defence Forces – on a voluntary basis. Its conditions of service were three months initial training, followed by one months' annual training with liability for six years Reserve service. It was not a success however, never exceeding 3,600 in strength, and had practically ceased to exist by 1934.
The "Volunteer Reserve Force" was established in Autumn 1929. No initial training was required – instead members attended parade once weekly, with four weekend camps per year along with fifteen days annual training. It was divided into three units, one Battalion in Dublin, an Artillery Battery in Cork and an Officer Training Corps in third-level universities. A total of 1,229 enlisted in the Officer Training College (OTC), while 987 enlisted in the other two units. The units were disbanded in 1935.
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Wikipedia