Plain sailing for Naval Service recruits

The Flag Officer Commanding the Naval Service, Commodore Hugh Tully, yesterday took the salute at the passing out parade of 36 recruits.

The sole female recruit was camogie All-Star Aisling O’Brien, Aglish, Co Waterford, winner of four All-Ireland club and county medals.

Also taking special pride of place was Craig O’Sullivan. His passing out wrapped up a busy month in which he married fianceé Liamhain, less than two weeks ago in Mahon Church in Cork. His new wife and daughter shared Craig’s proud moment.

Recruit Class John DeCourcy had been named in honour of the founder of the Maritime Institute of Ireland who was a teacher, author, maritime historian, and a noted supporter of the politics of the Left.

Maintaining a tradition of recruit classes, the trainees had conducted a rowathon and collected €4,500, which was presented to the South Infirmary Children’s Ward.

The 19-week training course included seamanship skills, basic sea survival, naval boarding, foot drill, and weapons handling, as well as damage control and fire-fighting.

The passing out marks the first step for the recruits as they continue their professional development in the seamanship, engineering, communications, and logistics branches of the Naval Service.

The recruits, some of whose families have a proud tradition in the Defence Forces, were from Antrim, Cork, Donegal, Down, Dublin, Kerry, Laois, Longford. Louth, Meath, Monaghan, Offaly, Sligo, Tipperary, Waterford and Westmeath.