Senior army officer rejects 'inaccurate' claim junior officers 'ill-equipped' to train recruits

Brigadier General Stephen Ryan told the Defence Forces Tribunal second lieutenants and lieutenants are 'trained to do their job, and part of their job is to do recruit training'

Brigadier General Stephen Ryan, left, after giving evidence at the Defence Forces Tribunal. Picture: Neil Michael.

One of the army’s most senior officers has described as “inaccurate” a claim that training for junior officers left them “ill-equipped” to train new recruits.

The claim was made on Thursday by a retired officer known as 2LTB, who is alleged to have repeatedly mistreated recruits under his care at the Army Apprentice School in Devoy Barracks, Naas, in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

The alleged mistreatment includes 2LTB allegedly getting recruits to dance with each other and sing nursery rhymes after a day of firing range training on June 20, 1991. ​H​e is also alleged to have ordered a recruit to eat cigarette butts from an ashtray after catching him smoking in his dormitory.

Brigadier General Stephen Ryan was asked if junior officers were ill-equipped to train recruits. He told the Defence Forces Tribunal: “That wouldn't be an accurate statement."

He said second lieutenants and lieutenants are “trained to do their job, and part of their job is to do recruit training”.

He was himself a lieutenant when he was ordered to take over command of the 34th Platoon in July 1991 from 2LTB, who was a 2nd lieutenant at the time.

In a statement he had made to the tribunal, 2LTB — who cannot be named for legal reasons — had said his own training didn’t equip him for his role as a platoon commander in the Army Apprentice School.

Brig Gen Ryan, who is the general officer commanding two brigade covering the eastern region of the country, said that, by the time he arrived at Devoy Barracks to take over from 2LTB, he was “well capable” of training recruits.

He said that this ability included leading recruit as well as helping them if they had any personal problems.

“I was well capable of doing my job,” he said.

Flags flown at half mast

​He also revealed that he only found out this year that an investigation into the alleged mistreatment of recruits by 2LTB was under way when he took over from him.

He said that, when he took over on July 18, 1991, he was aware one of the platoon’s recruits — Oliver Mullaney — had died on June 22.

Brig Gen Ryan said he only found out because flags were being flown at half mast the day he arrived at the barracks.

Although he said he didn’t ask too many questions about the tragedy or the investigation, he said he assumed there would be three investigations. These would be, he believed, by gardaí, the military police, and a coroner.

He says he was not aware that the alleged mistreatment of the 19-year-old by 2LTB two days before he took his own life was the subject of a military police investigation.

A serving army soldier known only as  Corporal G confirmed to the tribunal male recruits at the apprentice school were ordered to dance with each other two days before Mr Mullaney died by suicide.

Corporal G, who cannot be named for legal reasons, told the tribunal: “I do have a recollection of people dancing on the [barracks] square. To the best of my knowledge, it was ballroom dancing."

He was asked if he was “directed” to ask people to dance, and did he see that “as an order”. He replied: “Yes. I obey all my orders. You are given an order, you carry it out unless it is a really, really illegal order.”