'The navy is my family': Irish Defence Forces welcomes first Rastafarian recruit

Ansoumane Firkins and his classmates at their passing-out parade in Haulbowline, Co Cork. Ansoumane, whose grandfather, Tamba Kallas Traoré, had a distinguished career in Guinea, is permitted a derogation from standard crew cuts due to his Rastafarian religion. 

The Defence Forces are becoming more multicultural, and some of their latest recruits highlight this, including their first Rastafarian.

Ansoumane Firkins, aged 24, was born in the Czech Republic to parents who came from Guinea, West Africa.