Irish Army Engineer Corps

The Engineer Corps (or An Corps Innealtoiri in Irish) is the combat engineering unit of the Irish Defence Forces. The Engineers Corps is responsible for all military engineering matters within the Defence Forces. The main role of the Combat Engineers is to provide engineering on the battlefield. The Engineers Corps have successfully leveraged their skill and expertise in several of the Irish Army's deployments in UN operations.

History

Following the establishment of the Irish Free State on 6 December 1922 General Routine Orders were issued which laid down the organisation of the first centralised Defence Forces. From an engineering point of view there were three particular problem areas to be overcome:-

• The Barracks and Posts throughout the state were in great need of repair following the War of Independence and the Civil War.
• There was a general shortage of materials.
• Most of the railway system was in disarray with many towns cut off.

To meet these requirements three (3) Corps were set up:

• The Works Corps - to carry out repairs and reconstruction.
• The Salvage Corps - to recover materials from damaged buildings for use elsewhere.
• The Railway Protection, Repair and Maintenance Corps - to rebuild the railway system.

The Corps of Engineers was established and took over from these three Corps with effect from 1 October 1924. In 1931 Field Engineer Companies and the School of Military Engineering were added to the establishment.

Roles

The Engineer Corps has a wide...
Read More