Local Reserve Defence Forces on recruitment drive in Mullingar today

The Reserve Defence Forces, C Company, 6th Battalion, based in Mullingar, are holding a recruitment event today on the Market Square.

Sgt John Duncan and Cpl Declan Lynch are on duty.

Sgt Duncan said the aim is to attract new members aged between 18 and 35 to sign up to the Reserve Defence Forces on the military.ie website. The closing date is November 30.

Asked how he would encourage people to sign up, Sgt Duncan said: “This is an opportunity to experience something they’ve never experienced before. Life in the Defense Forces is slightly different from whatever they’ve done before, but we do offer things like leadership training, confidence building and weapons handling.

“We also do courses in first aid, advanced first aid, communications – we have state of the art radio equipment, CIS (communications and information systems) units that maintain them.”

Other areas in which tuition is available are driving, including off-road and trucks, adventure training (hiking, obstacle courses, canoeing), navigation.

Sport is part of Reserve Defence Forces life too, and there are official teams in all the main ones, from GAA and soccer and other field and team sports to equestrian activities.

“That’s all available to anyone who joins the Defence Forces; if they want to do courses in any of those areas, we can facilitate them,” said Sgt Duncan.