FRANK HETHERINGTON,
Madam, - The RTÉ programme All The Queen's Men on 12th November dealt very interestingly with the tradition (now out of fashion in Ireland) of Irishmen joining the British Army. It dealt particularly with the Royal Irish Regiment and the Irish Guards.
My brother and I, who come from Liverpool, (of Irish origin) joined the Irish Guards during the second World War . We would have been "called up" , but chose to volunteer so that we could choose our regiment: The "Micks", as we call ourselves, are very popular in Liverpool and other cities where there is a strong Irish ethos. We both saw action and remain to this day very proud of having served in the Micks and remain members of the regimental association.
The Irish Guards regiment was formed by Queen Victoria on 1st April 1900 in recognition of the bravery and professionalism of Irish soldiers in South Africa in the last years of the 19th century. The Irish make excellent soldiers.
It was very interesting to hear the soldiers speak for themselves and of the difficulty caused even in their own families because of joining the British Army. I particularly recall the words of the Irish Guards drum major who said that his mother "went ballistic" over him joining up.
I married an Irishwoman from Dublin and we all moved to Dublin in 1982 and are very happy here. However, my wife's family have a Republican outlook, so my membership of the Irish Guards is not a "shared" topic of conversation.
Politics seems to have a habit of standing history on its head. This has a very unhappy effect on many people.
May I conclude by congratulating RTÉ for screening this programme.
I will finish by quoting the regimental motto of the Irish Guards and several of the old disbanded regiments.
Quis Separabit (who shall separate us). - Yours, etc.,
FRANK HETHERINGTON, Kimmage Road West, Dublin 12.
... ... * ... * ... * ... ... Madam, - RTE screened a True Lives documentary (November 11th) based on the lives of Irish citizens serving in the British armed services. While this documentary was historically important, it glamorised life in the present British Army. I think that RTE has handed the Ministry of Defence in Britain recruitment advertising in this time of potential military conflict. As a television licence holder I hope RTE has received some payment from the Ministry of Defence as this documentary will lead to some recruitment of gullible young Irish people. - Yours, etc.,
JOHN HANLY, Mullally Grove, Cappamore, Co Limerick.