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Old 28-06-09, 01:42 AM
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Default Identify please

I saw this on ebay ,can anyone identify it as to country etc.
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Old 28-06-09, 06:11 AM
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Irish republic

P.B.
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Interested in all aspects of militaria/military history but especially insignia and history of non regular units with a Liverpool connection

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Old 28-06-09, 12:44 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by boots and saddles View Post
I saw this on ebay ,can anyone identify it as to country etc.

It is indeed Irish. It is a shoulder title of the Abbyleix Battalion F.C.A. An Forsa Cosanta Aitiul (FCA) was a volunteer and part time local defence force, first organised on Jan 1 1941, reogranised in 1946, integrated into the permanent defence forces in 1959, split from the PDF again c. 1979 and finally replaced by Cultaca an Airm (Army Reserve) in the early 2000's.

This title was worn c. 1953 - c. 1959 . It became F. Coy 9th Inf Bn in the '59 re-org. With the formation of Cultaca an Airm, Abbyleix is in the recruiting area of the 31st Reserve Field Artillery Regiment.

This title is not widely faked (to the best of my knowledge), if genuine is a very desirable item to collectors of Irish Defence Forces Insignia. However, I have seen IDF unit flashes begining to be faked in recent years.

John

Last edited by John Mulcahy; 28-06-09 at 01:02 PM. Reason: typos
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Old 28-06-09, 04:07 PM
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Very informative , Is the Gaelic language the official language in the Republic, I'm sure everyone there speak English (at least everyone that I met while over there) Thanks guys
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Old 28-06-09, 04:42 PM
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The Irish Language is the first official language of the state by Article 8.1 of Bunreacht na hÉireann (The Constitution of Ireland)

8.2 recognises English as a second official language. In reality only a minority of the population speak Irish as a first language. The government ( Government of Ireland, Statement on the Irish Language 2006) estimated that Irish was the first language used in communities and households by 3% of the population in 2006.

Irish was compulsory in school in my time, its use is widespread including exclusive TV, Radio and printed media solely in the language.

All orders in the Defence forces are given in Irish with the exception of firing point orders. I can recall having English born members of my battalion and the thought of instructing them 'range 200, at your target in front 5 rounds rapid fire" in Irish is still worrying! Having said that the same applied to 98% of the native born members.

The 1st Infantry Battalion is an Irish speaking unit as was E Coy 20th Infantry Battalion (FCA). The army runs Irish language camps every year and serving members proficient in the language are intitled to wear a proficiency badge in uniform.

Most individuals in the country have several sentences in the language but as you can see from the statistic quoted by the government, English is the de-facto first language of the vast majority of the country.

John

Last edited by John Mulcahy; 29-06-09 at 12:21 AM. Reason: clarification of points.
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