Photographic projects about Ireland's Defence Forces tend to show the same things: young recruits in the Curragh, patrols in Lebanon, ships in Atlantic weather. Behind those images is a small military with an unusual role, shaped by the state's policy of neutrality.
What the Defence Forces are
Óglaigh na hÉireann, Ireland's Defence Forces, consist of the Army, the Air Corps and the Naval Service, together with a Reserve. They were established with the Irish state in the early 1920s. Compared with most European militaries they are small, and their main tasks are defending the state, supporting the civil authorities at home, and serving abroad on international missions.
Neutrality
Ireland is militarily neutral: it is not a member of NATO or any mutual defence alliance. Irish troops serve overseas only under the so-called "triple lock", which requires a United Nations mandate, a government decision and approval by the Dáil for deployments of more than 12 armed personnel. Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Irish governments have debated whether to modify the triple lock, which remains politically sensitive.
Peacekeeping
Peacekeeping is central to the Defence Forces' identity. Irish soldiers first deployed on a UN mission in 1958, in Lebanon, and served in large numbers in the Congo in the early 1960s. Ireland has contributed to the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) since 1978, and Irish peacekeepers have been killed on UN service over the decades. Ireland has an unbroken record of UN peacekeeping service since 1958.
Reform
In February 2022 the independent Commission on the Defence Forces reported to the government. It described long-standing problems, including difficulty recruiting and retaining personnel and gaps in capabilities such as air defence and maritime surveillance, and set out options for increasing capability. The government committed to raising defence spending. Separately, reviews in 2022 and 2023 examined allegations of abuse and discrimination within the forces, leading to further reforms.
Why it matters
Ireland's experience of the Troubles shaped its security policy, including close cooperation along the border. Its peacekeeping record also gives Irish soldiers direct experience of other societies emerging from conflict, an experience many have compared with Northern Ireland's.