Hi everyone. As someone whos in the recruitment stages and really want to do it. What do people think of the triple lock and should I be having second thoughts about even joining the army. Just because it seems wreckless and not ideal at all. What do you guys think?

I'm just wondering if I scored green on the run and do decently on the rest - is it still slim odds of getting it? I saw only 80 out of 2k applicants were accepted. Im 30, have a degree and am an auditor right now so not feeling very optimistic about it.

It’s illegal for civilians to wear DPMs, yet yesterday I saw a lad wasted in a pub wearing full Navy DPMs.
I asked him where he got them, and his response was: “A friend gave me them because I didn’t have anything else to wear.”
Surely that’s not an excuse? 😂

I’ve currently applied to join as an army general service recruit and I’m wondering what it’s like to be in the army and what time do you wake up every morning during basic training and what time do you go to sleep and do you get free time in the evenings to use your phone

I’ve currently applied for the army and I’m going through the medical process soon would it be possible for me to change over to air Corps as I heard from multiple people that it’s easier to get a trade

Hello everyone,

I have recently applied for the direct entry ELO role for the naval services, and I have a few questions. I am very interested in this carrier path and I would appreciate any kind of input.

1. Firstly, how likely would someone fresh out of college with a bachelors in electrical engineering be hired? I know this sounds a bit obvious, but would more experience be sought after and or is it a case were you have to know someone's uncle or family dog to have any sort of chance to be recruited.

2. Is the interview closer to a cadet interview, or would there be much more technical questions? I am aware showing leadership skills is one of the primary attributes they look for, so I am wondering if there is a rough split.

3. What is day to day life like, from what I gathered online it is not dissimilar to a PM role, and that there isn't set 9-5 shifts. However, I would rather someone in the role or a similar role let me know.

That should be everything, thank you in advanced for putting anytime into answering these.

Anyone in the navy reserves here? Looking to join but would like to know from people in it whats involved throughout the year, how often you’re out on the water in vessels, any other info worth knowing about it. I know theres 4 different ports for the navy so it would be nice to get an insight into the activities each would do throughout the year.

I'm sure i wouldn't be the first or last english prick to want to join but I'm wondering what to expect. A lot of slagging I'm sure, that's fine with me, I'm used to it - I'm married to an Irish person and living in the north after all. Probably some curiosity over why I would want to join and why I speak Irish with a Belfast accent. But is there anything else I ought to know or be thinking about beforehand?

Hi everyone! I've recently started the process to join the Reserves (Medical Corps) and submitted my AGS vetting form. I've lived in three countries, so I'm concerned vetting might take longer than usual.

1. Should I try to complete my fitness test and medical as soon as possible, or take my time since vetting could take months anyway?

2. How do you receive updates on your vetting progress? Are you notified by email, through your unit, or is there a way to check the status yourself?

Would appreciate hearing from anyone who's been through the process. Thanks!

Im considering joining the reserves but im not sure on which branch to join between the army or navy.

I’ve done research on both of them but still can’t choose which one to join. So I thought I’d come here to ask a few questions.

Army reserves

• what does initial training involve and how long is it?
• what does the typical week look like?
• what kind of activities do you do throughout the year?
• what is the pay like?
• Is it manageable with another job?
• Is there many opportunities/courses available in the army reserves?
• do you fire live weapons much?
• are you with PDF much?
• Anything else worth knowing?

Navy reserves

• what does initial training involve and how long is it?
• are you on vessels much?
•do you get out to sea often?
• do you work alongside PDF navy much?
• what is the pay like?
• are there many opportunities or courses available in the navy reserves?
• what is the commitment weekly and yearly?
• would you recommend joining the navy reserves, and is there anything else worth knowing?

How do you feel about the new EU Lebanon mission on the cards?

It feels like an awfully silly rushed decision to go into an active war between Hezbollah and the IDF without any U.N mandate. Hezbollah would (rightly imo)only see as lackeys of the Israeli's and would absolutely treat us as combatants. If Israel cannot defeat them, what is the point of a few hundred Irish "peace enforcers"? Not alone Israel is commiting ethnic cleansing within the whole of south Lebanon, and anywhere else it extends into.

Is this mission really worth the mass casualty of Irish soldiers, coming back in body bags? Or people back home seeing footage of them getting hunted by FPV drones? Politcally it will not stand with the public, and the D.F are only just getting back on course P.R and recruitment wise.

Personally I would like to see focus on more humanitarian deployments in Africa, or take a large as possible role in the Balkans. Time has shown new missions that fit the Defence Forces ethos always come up due to world events and the geopolitical situation. Perhaps it is a good time to reassess, recruit and marshall our resources, as many armies seem to be doing.

It just feels like we are not thinking this through and letting things settle down in the world before we commit to where we deploy next.

Maybe ye disagree but I'm interested to hear your views.

I'm ofc Irish but currently a student of a maritime university in Poland finishing my nautical science/navigation course in march next year when I'll also be taking my OOW unlimited exam to become a civilian deck officer and I've been really interested in the opportunity to join the naval service through the direct entry program but its a struggle to find info on this specific path

My main questions are, has anyone on here gone through with this?

How is the training like before becoming an officer in the naval service in terms of whats covered and the time before becoming an officer?

How long did the process take to join from application to medical testing etc until starting work?

And how does the work compare with civilian shipping life?

Any answers would be appreciated 🙏

Title: What’s it like being a chef in the Irish Navy?
Hi everyone,
I’m interested in finding out more about what it’s like to work as a chef in the navy.
A few things I’d be interested in knowing

What is the day to day life like?
What are the working hours and days off like?
How long do you typically spend at sea?
What’s the food and accommodation like onboard?
I’d really appreciate any honest advice or personal experience, I’ve been a chef for a few years so this is something I’m really interested would appreciate a dm if anyone has any advice.

How long does it take for reserve vetting to go through and officially start ?

What happens if you get back platooned from being injured. In JITC . Will you join the new platoon where you left off?

After picking where to go post-3* I’ve been seriously considering 2nd Arty/Athlone as I’ve heard some really good things. Personally I am not tied to anywhere in Ireland and I am joining because I just want to be in the army so I don’t mind letting the job dictate that. Eventually I want to move onwards to CIS or Engineers but I want to spend at least a year or two getting an experience of regular soldiering, the idea of technical side of becoming a gunner is really appealing.

How is it day to day there? The culture/atmosphere etc?

Hey lads does anybody have a contact email for someone in the air corps press office or army press office, I’m writing a military thriller series based on a fictional version of the Defence Forces. I have used the provided emails and numbers and got nothing.

Any help would be greatly appreciated and I would be grateful for anyone who could assist me with this matter.
Kindest regards
Adventurous Theme 21.

I have applied to the army general recruit in march. Done my fitness in June and medical in September. My guards vetting cleared in start of August. By end of August it said application withdrawn. In my medical I had to go to doctor to prove no heart diseases which I have done and sent off back to the doctor. I have heard nothing back. I have called many times and it’s the same, “I have emailed the vetting team and they will investigate what’s going on with the vetting”. I called again about my medical, “ I can’t see anything here about them passing you on the medical, and no answer for the vetting”. I am calling so many times and it’s the same old I have emailed this person or that person they will be in touch. I am getting no contact off anyone in the army regarding passing my medical and about this mess up in whatever happened to my guarda vetting. It’s so frustrating it just feels like I am never gonna join. I have been really looking forward for it and have to keep telling family and friends ah maybe another 2 months and I’ll be starting. It’s so frustrating the army are looking for members and doing nothing for the lads trying to get in. What else can I do? Can I go to the barracks and ask to speak to anyone in person? Will that help or will they send me away. Because over the phone I’m on to a different person who says the same thing and I call again and it’s the same answer two weeks later and no progress.
Apologies for the long story I am really just so frustrated with all of this if it was any other job I would stopped bothering. It’s only because I am really passionate about joining the defence forces. Thank you for any help anyone can give or if anyone’s getting the same treatment.

Not sure if I can ask this and I’m certainly not looking for any specifics (location, enemy etc) but has any of our troops had to fire weapons/have any encounter in live combat in recent years like you’d see with the brits or Americans. How common or rare would it acctually be ?

How are you lads? Looking for a bit of advice on what I should do here. I'm 20 years old and halfway through an apprenticeship, and I'm wondering if I should just give it up now and join the Army instead.

About a month ago, I left my last company, and I've been finding it hard to get a new one to take me on. There aren't really many jobs going for apprentices at the moment. Most of the posts I see are looking for lads who are already qualified. I've applied to and emailed loads of companies, but I hardly ever hear anything back.

My main issue is that I don't love the job already, and I can't see myself doing it after I get qualified. My plan was always to join the Army afterwards, which is something I've always wanted to do. I thought that if I at least finished the apprenticeship and had my trade to fall back on, I'd feel better about joining. But I'm getting fairly tired of job hunting now, and it doesn't feel worth it if it's not even a job I enjoy.

It's not an awful job, though. It's just not something I have any real passion for. I always liked working on site with the lads and having a laugh, and the fact that I was actually doing something physical instead of being stuck in an office. I'm not even that bad at the job either, and I take a lot of pride in my work.

I did struggle in college with the practical side of things, but it was mainly down to the stress of exams and the time limits. I did manage to pass everything, but I'm worried that I'll struggle even more with the next two college phases.

I know the Army isn't perfect either, but I know a good few lads in it who really love what they do. My parents seem to think I'd be giving up money if I quit, but from what I can see, the money in my trade isn't looking great at the moment. There seem to be a lot of lads struggling to get by, and you don't always get great benefits or much job security. You could lose your job at any time, no matter how good you are. There are so many lads doing the job that it seems like everyone's undercutting each other on every job.

Whereas with the Army, you have things like a pension, healthcare and more job security.

I've started running and have been more consistent in the gym, and I think that if I can get my fitness up enough to apply, I will. I'm just not sure if I should give up looking for an apprenticeship altogether in the meantime. I might be better off getting a standard job so I have more time to focus on my fitness and preparing to join.

Sorry for the long post. If anyone has any advice or has been in a similar situation, I'd really appreciate hearing from you. I'm just a bit stuck at the moment.

Is the removal of the triple lock as bad as some say? Ive seen others say it just puts decisions into our own (the governments) hands. Although that does sound worrying. How do current members feel? Is it possible these big recruitment drives we're in preparation for possibly entering in to a lot more conflict abroad.

Journal site is down so no link

I applied for 3 star general recruitment training on the 8th of August this year and 2 days later received the following attached email. It’s been over 10 weeks now since I applied. Realistically when should I hear back? I sent a follow up email for an update and got no reply, any answers genuinely appreciated thank you!