Ear Muffs and legal buffs. What? - you heard - but there's more to the Army than that.
Capt Dan Harvey who co-wrote with Quartermaster Gerry White the splendid history of Collins Barracks in Cork, which was mentioned here recently, has been in touch to ask if anyone would be interested (in these litigious times - not his words) in discussing the fact that the 40th anniversary of overseas service by the Army is coming up. In particular, he wanted to know if Southern Report would be interested in seeing the new United Nations museum which is being assembled in the barracks.
This will be completed shortly, and when opened, Collins Barracks will have two museums. Already, there exists the museum which has as its centrepiece a fine collection of Michael Collins memorabilia, including the greatcoat he had with him at Beal na mBlath, his personal revolver, and the diary he had with him when he was shot. His final entry was "the people are splendid." The museum contains rare military medals, the uniform Tom Barry wore at the Kilmichael ambush, documents that chart the founding of the State, and original photographs. It receives visitors from all over the world, among them schoolchildren, historical groups, and relatives of the last British garrison which served there.
It was conceived in the first place as a memorial to fallen soldiers, including Private Finbarr Moon, of Cork, who was the first Irish soldier to die on duty overseas. In all, six soldiers from the barracks have lost their lives abroad. Also, the museum was set up to remember the five Cork soldiers who died in 1977 at the Glen of Imaal shooting range tragedy.
The United Nations museum, with artefacts and various memorabilia, will chart the progress of Irish troops on foreign soil, the proud history of service which has developed over four decades. Capt Harvey is the curator. "Maybe," he said, "a good news story about the Army right now might be newsworthy in itself."