O’Dea on hand as six naval cadets commissioned

SIX naval cadets were commissioned yesterday in the presence of Minister for Defence Willie O’Dea.

The chief-of-staff of the Defence Forces, Lieutenant General Dermot Earley and the flag officer commanding the Naval Service, Commodore Frank Lynch, watched on as the six young men became officers at the ceremony at Haulbowline Naval Base.

The cadets, from Cork, Wexford, Clare, Kildare and Galway have now completed the first two years of their intensive training programme.

Five of the cadets were commissioned as sub-lieutenants and one as an ensign.

Their training and education has included periods at the Military College in the Curragh Camp, Kildare, the Naval College in Haulbowline and academic studies at the National Maritime College of Ireland (NMCI) in Ringaskiddy

“Naval cadet training is arduous and designed to produce technically proficient officers who also have the capability to provide leadership on the high sea,” Commodore Lynch said.

The new officers will return to the NMCI to commence another academic year. This will include spending time at sea on both naval and merchant ships to gain vital experience and put into practice what they have learned in the classroom.

They will then graduate with a BSc Degree in Nautical Studies in the autumn of 2011 and take up their first posting as a fully qualified seagoing officer.

The new officers are Kieran Breen; James Brophy; Daniel Cagney; Micheal Devaney; Jon-Laurance Kickham; and Ciarán O Séaghdha.