In Camp Shamrock there are two types of alert. When the word Garryowen goes out on the public address, all personnel on the base are required to don a flak jacket and helmet. When the alert Groundhog is sounded, everyone must go immediately to their designated bunker, grabbing some warm clothes on their way, as they could be there for days if localised shelling were to continue.
This week there was shelling on Sunday and twice on Tuesday. The most prolonged outburst occurred at about 6.30 a.m. on Tuesday; it was within the Irish area and clearly audible at Camp Shamrock. Although one incident was only three miles away, none was near enough to prompt either type of alert.
But how did the word Garryowen come to be so used? No one on the base now knows. Is it that if Garryowen are coming you had better look out, or has it something to do with the Chief-of-Staff, Limerick man Lieut Gen Gerry McMahon being a keen and public supporter of rival rugby team Young Munster?