DUBLIN – Legend has it that Celtic warriors once charged into battle naked. Things aren’t that bad in the modern Irish army, but its union chief says soldiers must wage a daily battle for uniforms.
Mark Scally says the difficulty of finding clothes that fit has become so dire that, before the state funeral of a former prime minister this year, soldiers had to scramble to borrow colleagues’ uniforms, switching labels and rank badges to assemble an honour guard. He says some soldiers wait more than a year to receive a properly tailored “No. 1” uniform for ceremonial duties.
Get breaking National news
“It’s a disgrace,” said Scally, president of the union that represents 8,500 members of the Irish Defence Forces,unifor.
The commander, Lt. Gen. Conor O’Boyle, said Thursday he hadn’t been informed of any problem.
- Epstein files fallout: People who’ve resigned or been fired after DOJ release
- Inuit look to Greenland’s social model as Canada pursues military buildup in Arctic
- Canadians accused of joining ISIS moved out of Syria to prisons in Iraq
- 2 ICE officers face probe into whether they lied about Minneapolis shooting
-
![]()
Global News at 6:00 Toronto: February. 13, 2026 -
![]()
Russian drone strike kills one as Ukrainian official urges Europe to “prepare yourself” for war -
![]()
‘A world disorder’: European leaders call for increased defence spending amid geopolitical shift -
![]()
Ukraine’s Heraskevych disqualified from Olympics over skeleton helmet
Comments
Want to discuss? Please read our Commenting Policy first.