Military’s decision to disband 17th Battalion slammed at book launch
Closure of multiple barracks left soldiers commuting up to 60 miles a day
A new book honouring the men and women of the 17th Infantry Battalion launched Friday night at Longford Library, with journalist and crime author Paul Williams delivering a powerful speech slamming the military’s decision to disband the battalion.
Titled The Glorious 17th Infantry Battalion, the book is the work of Hugh Farrell, a former soldier who spent nearly 40 years in Connolly Barracks. The richly detailed volume includes more than 300 photographs, personnel lists, and records from each company covering decades of service, training, and rural recruitment across Longford, Leitrim, Cavan, and Roscommon.
Williams, who served with Mohill’s E Company, described the closure of the 17th Battalion in 2009 as a deliberate and disgraceful dismantling of a vital national defence asset.
In short: when the 17th Battalion was disbanded, several barracks—Mullingar, Longford, Rockhill, Lifford, Monaghan, Castlebar, and Clonmel—were closed between 2009 and 2011. While the Defence Forces cited cost savings, many argue the move gutted rural defence infrastructure and offered little real financial relief, as facilities still required heating, security and maintenance despite being emptied.
“It was a conspiracy by civil servants who never saw a tank in their lives. They ran down the organisation, stripped it bare, and robbed the country of a key defence force,” said Williams.
Pat Donnelly, a former PDF Corporal, said the closures dismantled not just the FCA, but the military culture and community bonds that held the region together.
“When the Reserve Defense Forces was defunded, it wasn’t just a few units—it was the skeleton staff, the structure, the soul of the force that was stripped away,” he said. “The 17th stepped up during the Troubles. They manned the barracks, ran firing parties, stood in the gap when the country bordered on anarchy.”
“I had it out with them several times,” he added. “The Chief of Staff said at the time he was doing a bit of housekeeping.”
Williams also spoke to the lasting social value of the FCA, saying it gave young people “discipline, confidence, and camaraderie”—and credited its non-commissioned officers with shaping generations of recruits.
The night drew large crowds for a Longford book launch, with tributes paid to veterans, fallen comrades, and the librarians and archivists who helped bring the project to life.
“Every one of us can be proud of what we were part of,” Williams said. “The way the organisation helped young people back then—you’d have to pay a fortune to hire people with the same skills to do that now.”