, image= Defense Forces Infantry Flag (Ireland).svg , image_size = 200 , caption=Flag of the Irish Army Infantry Corps , dates=1 October 1924 – present
, country= , branch=

Army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

, command_structure= Badge of the Irish Defence Forces

Defence Forces The phrase Defence Force(s) (or Defense Force(s) in US English - see spelling differences) is in the title of the armed forces of certain countries and territories. Defence forces * Ambazonia Defence Forces *Artsakh Defence Army * Australian Defen ...

, type=

Light Infantry Light infantry refers to certain types of lightly equipped infantry throughout history. They have a more mobile or fluid function than other types of infantry, such as heavy infantry or line infantry. Historically, light infantry often fought ...

, role= Multiple roles , size= 7 Battalions, 1 Independent Company
1 Infantry Battalion -

Galway Galway ( ; ga, Gaillimh, ) is a City status in Ireland, city in the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht, which is the county town of County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lo ...

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Kilkenny Kilkenny (). is a city in County Kilkenny, Ireland. It is located in the South-East Region and in the province of Leinster. It is built on both banks of the River Nore. The 2016 census gave the total population of Kilkenny as 26,512. Kilken ...

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Athlone Athlone (; ) is a town on the border of County Roscommon and County Westmeath, Ireland. It is located on the River Shannon near the southern shore of Lough Ree. It is the second most populous town in the Midlands Region with a population of ...

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Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

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Limerick Limerick ( ; ga, Luimneach ) is a western city in Ireland situated within County Limerick. It is in the province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region. With a population of 94,192 at the 2016 ...

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Dundalk Dundalk ( ; ga, Dún Dealgan ), meaning "the fort of Dealgan", is the county town (the administrative centre) of County Louth, Ireland. The town is on the Castletown River, which flows into Dundalk Bay on the east coast of Ireland. It is h ...

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Ballyshannon Ballyshannon () is a town in County Donegal, Ireland. It is located at the southern end of the county where the N3 from Dublin ends and the N15 crosses the River Erne. Incorporated in 1613, it is one of the oldest towns in Ireland. Location B ...

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Curragh The Curragh ( ; ga, An Currach ) is a flat open plain of almost of common land in County Kildare. This area is well known for Irish horse breeding and training. The Irish National Stud is located on the edge of Kildare town, beside the ...

, website= , identification_symbol_4 = INF , identification_symbol_4_label = Abbreviation The Infantry Corps (INF) ( ga, An Cór Coisithe) is the largest component of the

Irish Army The Irish Army, known simply as the Army ( ga, an tArm), is the land component of the Defence Forces of Ireland.The Defence Forces are made up of the Permanent Defence Forces – the standing branches – and the Reserve Defence Forces. The Ar ...

. Infantry soldiers are regarded as operational troops who must be prepared for tactical deployment in any location at short notice. In wartime, this means that they will be among the front line troops in the defence of the State. In peacetime however they can be seen daily performing operational duties in Aid to the Civil Power (ATCP) such as providing escorts to cash, prisoner or explosive shipments, patrols of vital state installations and border patrols, including check points. The infantry corps consists of a total of seven battalions, a single mechanised company and the Infantry School.

An Chéad Chathlán Coisithe

''An Chéad Chathlán Coisithe'' (English: The First Infantry Battalion) was established as an

Irish language Irish ( Standard Irish: ), also known as Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Insular Celtic branch of the Celtic language family, which is a part of the Indo-European language family. Irish is indigenous to the island of Ireland and was ...

speaking unit in Galway in 1924. The role of ''An Chéad Chathlán Coisithe'' was seen as very important as far as the status and use of the first official language (Irish) of the State was concerned. All the armed forces units except An Chéad Cathlán functioned exclusively through the medium of the State's second official language (English). In modern times, the use of Irish as a working language in Óglaigh na hÉireann would appear to have been abandoned, even in An Chéad Chathlán. The then Minister for Defence, Mr O'Toole (on 4 December 1986) presented details regarding the recruitment of native Irish speakers to An Chéad Chathlán. These details show that no recruit from a ''

Gaeltacht ( , , ) are the districts of Ireland, individually or collectively, where the Irish government recognises that the Irish language is the predominant vernacular, or language of the home. The ''Gaeltacht'' districts were first officially recog ...

'' area was enlisted into the battalion in 1983. Under the 'Defence Forces icScheme' 2006-2009 ( under Section 11 of the Official Languages Act 2003) Óglaigh na hÉireann have undertaken to improve the delivery of services in Irish to the public. ''The aim of the

Official Languages Act 2003 The Official Languages Act 2003 ( ga, Acht na dTeangacha Oifigiúla 2003) is an Act of the Oireachtas of Ireland. The Act sets out rules regarding use of the Irish language by public bodies; established the office of to monitor and enforce compli ...

is to increase and improve in an organised manner over a period of time the quantity and quality of services provided ''for the public'' through Irish by public bodies. The legislation intends to create a space for the language in public affairs in Ireland.'','' It is noteworthy that the term ''public'' means individuals, legal persons and corporate bodies. lrlsh air corp are acting in a capacity which is representative of the State, Government or, where appropriate, contractor personnel, providing a service on behalf of Óglaigh na hÉireann. Consequently, persons who fulfil official functions of a public nature, even though they are legal persons, do not come within the meaning of the word ''public'' when they are fulfilling those official functions. Only in Gaeltacht areas is there an onus on Óglaigh na hÉireann to use Irish as the working language of the force. Section 13(2)(e) of the Official Languages Act states that a Public Body shall'' " ensure that the Irish language becomes the working language in its offices in the Gaeltacht not later than such date as may be determined by it with the consent of the Minister."'' There are no permanently manned Barracks or Posts of Óglaigh na hÉireann in Gaeltacht regions, ''"there are, however, training centres of na hÓglaigh Chúltaca (Reserve elements) manned on a part-time basis in the following locations: Carna, Maigh Cuilinn, An Cheathrú Rua, An Daingean."'' Under its agreed Language Scheme Óglaigh an hÉireann ''"will ensure that, by 2012, Irish will become the working language of these locations."''

Ceremonial Military Guard

The Ceremonial Military Guard (''Garda Míleata Searmanais'') of the

Irish Defence Forces The Defence Forces ( ga, Fórsaí Cosanta, officially styled ) derives its origins from the Irish Volunteers. Whilst the Irish for ''Defence Forces'' is , as Ó Cearúil (1999) points out, the Defence Forces are officially styled . is used in ...

is a guard of honour unit drawn from every battalion in the corps. It is also known as the ''Garda Onóra'' (Guard of Honour in English). It is inspected by the

President of Ireland The president of Ireland ( ga, Uachtarán na hÉireann) is the head of state of Republic of Ireland, Ireland and the supreme commander of the Defence Forces (Ireland), Irish Defence Forces. The president holds office for seven years, and can ...

Taoiseach The Taoiseach is the head of government, or prime minister, of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The office is appointed by the president of Ireland upon the nomination of Dáil Éireann (the lower house of the Oireachtas, Ireland's national legisl ...

or visiting military and political dignitaries. Personnel of the guard carry

Steyr AUG The Steyr AUG () is an Austrian bullpup assault rifle chambered for the 5.56×45mm NATO intermediate cartridge, designed in the 1960s by Steyr-Daimler-Puch, and now manufactured by Steyr Arms GmbH & Co KG. It was adopted by the Austrian Arm ...

rifles. The Defence Forces participate in the State ceremonial connected with: * Presidential Inaugurations * Presidential State Visits Abroad * State Visits to Ireland by Heads of State and Government * Presentation of Credentials by Ambassadors * 1916 Commemoration Ceremonies * State Funerals *

National Day of Commemoration In Ireland, the National Day of Commemoration ( ga, Lá Cuimhneacháin Náisiúnta) commemorates all Irish people who died in past wars or United Nations peacekeeping missions. It occurs on the Sunday nearest 11 July (see Irish Calendar), the a ...

* Easter Parade * Changing of the Guard on

Merrion Square Merrion Square () is a Georgian garden square on the southside of Dublin city centre. History The square was laid out in 1752 by the estate of Viscount FitzWilliam and was largely complete by the beginning of the 19th century. The demand fo ...

* National Famine Commemoration The guard wears the

Service Dress Service dress uniform is the informal type of uniform used by military, police, fire and other public uniformed services for everyday office, barracks and non-field duty purposes and sometimes for ceremonial occasions. It frequently consists of ...

(SD) on ceremonial occasions. The Ceremonial Military Guard also takes part in the Changing of the Guard at

park in Dublin.

Units

Current units of the Infantry Corps: *

An Chéad Chathlán Coisithe ''An Chéad Chathlán Coisithe'', the First Infantry Battalion in English, is a battalion of the Irish Army that was historically Irish-speaking. History The battalion was originally founded in the Curragh Camp in June 1924, before transferrin ...

* 3 Infantry Battalion * 6 Infantry Battalion * 7 Infantry Battalion * 12 Infantry Battalion *

27 Infantry Battalion The 27th Infantry Battalion (''27th Inf Bn''; Irish: ''27ú Cathlán Coisithe'') is one of the seven infantry battalions of the Irish Army. The battalion was established on 1 September 1973 and forms part of the 2nd Brigade. The Battalion Hea ...

* 28 Infantry Battalion * 1 Mechanised Infantry Company * Infantry School ** Officer Training Wing ** Non Commissioned Officers Training Wing ** Infantry Weapons Wing Disestablished units: * 2 Infantry Battalion (1924-2012) * 4 Infantry Battalion (1924-2012) * 5 Infantry Battalion (1924-2012) * 6 Infantry Battalion (1924-1929) - ''(Current 6 Inf Bn established in 1940)'' * 7 Infantry Battalion (1924-1929, 1940-1959) - ''(Current 7 Inf Bn established in 2012)'' * 8 Infantry Battalion (1924-1929, 1940-1946) * 9 Infantry Battalion (1924-1929, 1940-1946) * 10 Infantry Battalion (1924-1929, 1940-1946) * 11 Infantry Battalion (1924-1929, 1940-1946) * 12 Infantry Battalion (1924-1929) - ''(Current 12 Inf Bn established in 1940)'' * 13 Infantry Battalion (1924-1929, 1940-1959) * 14 Infantry Battalion (1924-1928, 1941-1946) * 15 Infantry Battalion (1924-1928, 1941-1946) * 16 Infantry Battalion (1924-1928, 1941-2005) * 17 Infantry Battalion (1924-1927, 1941-1946) * 18 Infantry Battalion (1924-1927, 1941-1946) * 19 Infantry Battalion (1924-1927, 1941-1946) * 20 Infantry Battalion (1924-1927, 1941-1946) * 21 Infantry Battalion (1924-1927, 1941-1946) * 22 Infantry Battalion (1924-1927, 1941-1946) * 23 Infantry Battalion (1924-1927, 1941-1946) * 24 Infantry Battalion (1924-1927, 1941-1946) * 25 Infantry Battalion (1924-1927, 1941-1946) * 26 Infantry Battalion (1924-1927) * 27 Infantry Battalion (1924-1927) - ''(Current 27 Inf Bn established in 1973)'' * 29 Infantry Battalion (1976-1998) * 30 Infantry Battalion (1977-1998) * 31 Infantry Battalion (1941-1946) Disestablished reserve units: * 32 Reserve Infantry Battalion (Made up of 14, 15 and 22 Battalions of the FCA) (2012) * 33 Reserve Infantry Battalion (2012) * 34 Reserve Infantry Battalion (2012) * 51 Reserve Infantry Battalion (2012) * 56 Reserve Infantry Battalion (2012) * 58 Reserve Infantry Battalion (2012) * 62 Reserve Infantry Battalion (made up of 20 and 21 Battalions of the FCA) (2012) * 65 Reserve Infantry Battalion (made up of 7 FCA Battalion) (2012) * 67 Reserve Infantry Battalion (2012)

Gallery

File:Defense.gov photo essay 120831-D-VO565-006.jpg, Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the

Joint Chiefs of Staff The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) is the body of the most senior uniformed leaders within the United States Department of Defense, that advises the president of the United States, the secretary of defense, the Homeland Security Council and the ...

, reviews the Irish Honor Guard at Brugha Barracks in

, Aug. 31, 2012. File:Military Guard Ceremony, Merrion Square 31 August (9635286009).jpg, Guard Ceremony, Merrion Square File:State Visit by The President of the Republic of Mozambique013 (14173089189).jpg, State visit President of Mozambique File:Irish Army Mowag Piranha.jpg, A Mowag Piranha of the 3rd Infantry Battalion at the 2006 Easter parade Dublin.

References

External links

The Infantry Corps , Irish Army

Merrion Square 2015 Preparation

28th Inf Bn on Ceremonial Military Guard Duty - 17 August 2013

27 Infantry Battalion perform ceremonial drill at the National Memorial, Merrion Square
{{Use dmy dates, date=June 2017 Military of the Republic of Ireland

Infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and marine i ...