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Army top brass at Fort Dunree
07.03.08
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ARMY top brass were
among the large crowd that gathered this week at
Fort Dunree Military Museum to celebrate the opening
of a major new exhibition. |
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The Rockhill Collection
is part of the huge private collection of military
memorabilia belonging to retired defence force
members, Sergeant Jackie Keenan and Private Jim
Gallagher.
The two men were stationed at HQ. 24 Infantry
Battalion at Rockhill House, Letterkenny, but also
spent part of their long service at Fort |
Dunree.
The exhibition is the result of many years of
collection and it displays numerous items of
memorabilia pertaining to the defence forces at home
and abroad. It contains examples of military
equipment, uniforms and rank insignia of other
nations who have served alongside Irish soldiers on
UN and NATO led missions among others.
The Rockhill Collection was launched on Wednesday by
Brigadier General Padraic O'Callaghan who praised
the two men for a labour of love that had created a
great legacy of military memorabilia. The general
remarked that while the exhibition had humble
beginnings starting out on one wall of Rockhill
House, it was "fitting that it had now found its
rightful home" in the cliff-top museum. He also
thanked the Fort Dunree board and its manager David
Magee for making the space available and for
curating the military showcase.
Speaking on behalf of Jackie and Jim, Col. Declan
O'Carroll thanked everyone who contributed items to
the collection over the years.
A major element of the new exhibition is the Irish
soldier's participation in peace-keeping from the
Congo to Kosovo and from Lebanon to Liberia.
"In all these missions, Irish soldiers served with
soldiers of nations from all around the world and
this exhibition reflects the international aspect of
our involvement with the UN," said museum manager
David Magee. For more photos from the launch
click
here . |
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