The College

The Irish Military College, 1930–2000

Tom Hodson

• Publisher: THP Ireland
• Year: 2016
• eBook ISBN: 9780750957571
• Edition: 0
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: Military & Maritime History
• Index: History

Since its establishment in 1930 the Irish Military College has had a vital influence on not only the Defence Forces but on the nation. It has formed all of the nation's commissioned officers, many of whom have achieved distinction both within and outside of the Defence Forces. The story of this relatively unknown national institution is intriguing as it has attempted to fulfill the roles laid down for it in 1923 in training and instructing officers and officer candidates. The task has not been easy, as the Military College has inevitably been subject to the many changes and fluctuations in the duties, roles and fortunes of the wider Defence Forces.

In this book Colonel Tom Hodson, a former instructor in the Military College and a graduate of École de Guerre, Paris, charts its history. He recounts how from its early predecessor, the Army School of Instruction, the Military College has repeatedly re-invented itself, culminating in the requirement for today's modern institution to embrace and impart instruction based on the needs of the Irish Defence Forces and the procedures of European and NATO armies.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• Acknowledgements
• Abbreviations
• Introduction: ‘An Coláiste’
• 1 Beginnings
• 2 The 1920s – Establishing the Military College
• 3 The 1930s – ‘Bedding-in’
• 4 The 1940s – The Emergency
• 5 The 1950s – Unease at the College
• 6 The 1960s – Moving from the Old to the New
• 7 The 1970s – The Board Years
• 8 The 1980s – Anticipating Change
• 9 The 1990s – An Expanded Military College
• Conclusion: Past, Present and Future
• Appendix
• Notes
• Picture Sections