3rd Infantry Battalion (Ireland)



The 3rd Infantry Battalion (3 Inf Bn) is a unit of the Irish Army Infantry Corps. The battalion was established on 1st October 1924, originally it formed part of 1 Brigade which was based in Ballyshannon Co Donegal in the Western Command area. The units Ulster roots gives it its Red Hand of Ulster symbol and The Bloods nickname. The 3rd Battalion was one of five Battalions in the army at the start of the Emergency, when it was moved into 5th Brigade in 1942, along with the 16th and 25th Infantry Battalions. During the Emergency it was responsible for defending the southeast of the country from possible invasion and regularly carried out training exercises.

In 1998, the 30th Infantry Battalion was amalgamated into the 3rd Infantry Battalion. Personnel from the battalion have seen service all over the world as part of Irish peacekeeping contingents, both within and outside the structure of the United Nations. Today, the battalion forms part of 1st Brigade, contributing soldiers not only for the defence and security of the Republic of Ireland, but also for deployment overseas. In 2006 the battalion contributed to the formation of the 95th Infantry Battalion, made up of personnel from the then 1st Southern Brigade, which deployed as part of the UNMIL mission to Liberia. The battalion is stationed at James Stephens Barracks in Kilkenny.

Soldiers from the battalion have served in various UN missions in trouble spots abroad including Congo, Lebanon, Liberia and Cyprus.

Prior to the re-organisation in 2012, B Company was stationed separately from the rest of the battalion, and served as the training unit for the Mowag Piranha APC, part of the Defence Forces Training Centre. Subsequently, this was split and renamed as the 1st Mechanised Infantry Company.