CHRISTMAS
MESSAGES
Michael D. Higgins
Uachtarán na hÉireann
Simon Coveney TD
Minister for Defence
Christmas Message
CHRISTMAS MESSAGE TO THE DEFENCE FORCES
FROM MINISTER OF DEFENCE SIMON COVENEY
December 2020
To the men and women of our Defence Forces.
Thank you for your service and your dedication in 2020, a year none of us will ever forget.
To those serving overseas - your work has never been more valued and I know the sacrifice of
being away from your family for months on end is even more acute this year given the fears
at home of the virus. I know you have worried about the welfare and health of elderly and
vulnerable relatives at home in the same way they usually about you when you’re abroad. I
know your partners have carried extra weight this year and I know your children have worried
about the virus. I want you to know that the people and government of Ireland are immensely
proud of you and grateful to you.
To those who have served at home this year - working from home was not really an option for
our men and women in uniform, so when the roads were empty and most citizens were staying
within 2km of their homes, you were at your post. The Defence Forces have been a constant
and professional partner to the HSE in protecting our citizens in this pandemic. No task has
been too big or too small and you have served with distinction.
I was proud to return as Minister for Defence this year and my pledge to you in the years that I
hold this office is to represent you at the cabinet table and to continue to highlight your work
to our citizens.
Your dedication to each other is also so important and I know those who aren’t home with
their families this year take great comfort from being with their Defence Forces family.
So to all of you, Happy Christmas and a safe and healthy New Year.
Simon Coveney TD
Minister of Defence
Vice Admiral
Mark Mellett (DSM)
Chief of Staff
Irish Defence Forces
Christmas Message
Chief of Staff’s Christmas Message 2020
To the Men and Women of Óglaigh na hÉireann
On my own behalf and on behalf of the General Staff, I would like to take this opportunity
to extend Christmas greetings to you, the women and men of Óglaigh na hÉireann, and your
families. I want to express my sincere gratitude to you all for your work and dedication over
the past year.
In the season of goodwill it is important to give thanks, and as an organisation to take stock
of where Óglaigh na hÉireann is at the end of 2020. This year has been dominated by
Covid-19, globally and nationally, and through Operation Fortitude we will continue with our
Main Effort: support to the HSE and other national Agencies while continuing to provide
framework operations and sustain our overseas commitments. For most people, daily life
has changed beyond recognition. For the Army, Air Corps and Naval Service , at home and
abroad, our routine activities and operations continued as normal, but we prioritised our own
force protection to ensure we maintain readiness at all times to Strengthen The Nation.
2021 will, most likely, continue to be affected by the Coronavirus, however our resilience
must be maintained. To that end, we have prioritised our Induction and Career courses for
2021 and we will continue to breathe new life into our organisation through recruitment, re-
enlistment and re-commissioning; as we Consolidate and Enhance, building capability for the
next challenges. We will also continue to deploy personnel on overseas missions supporting
the UN and multilateralism, helping create safe and secure environments, protecting civilians
especially the most vulnerable. Next year will also bring more focus, interest and attention on
Óglaigh na hÉireann through the work and recommendations arising from the Commission
on the Defence Forces. Other developments may also affect our work through Ireland’s tenure
on the UN Security Council, the impacts from BREXIT and, of course, our continuing battle
with Covid-19.
While it was a very successful and concerted diplomatic effort to win a seat on the UN Security
Council, I have no doubt Óglaigh na hÉireann’s unbroken service globally on peacekeeping
and peace-enforcements missions since 1958 formed the bedrock of that campaign. This is
something I remain very proud of and our current contributions, along with those of our
Veterans, remain a significant and proud legacy, a legacy that has helped shape Ireland’s
priorities for its tenure on the Council. The Decade of Centenaries will also continue at home
in 2021 and Óglaigh na hÉireann will nobly play our part with dignity.
At this time of year I am very conscious of the unending help and support given to every
soldier, sailor, airwoman or airman by their families. I want to thank each and every one of
you for that support. A military family gets placed under unique stresses, and this year, those
stresses have been intensified by the effects of Coronavirus. I know very few, if any, of our
peacekeepers will be home for Christmas this year and many young families will miss their
Mum or Dad abroad on overseas service. Also, the additional restrictions pre-departure and
on return from overseas service have meant loved ones are out of sight for longer. All of us
in uniform know that it is our families who are the true heroes, our selflessness is possible
because of their support and sacrifice that you and your families make. In 2021, the General
Staff will continue to seek supports for all personnel to meet the increased demands that this
pandemic brought.
Christmas is a time to acknowledge those who support us and I wish to acknowledge the
leadership of Minister Coveney and our colleagues in the Department of Defence, while
welcoming our new Secretary General Jacqui McCrum.
As we look to the New Year with hope, we also do so with professional pride. Pride in the
way we have responded to the national struggle with Covid-19, pride in the unbroken UN
service that won a seat for our nation on the UN Security Council, pride in our Innovation
Champions and the promise that they embody, and pride in our most recent Defence Forces
Values Champions who lead the way in how we all should go about our work. Our Values
provide a framework and a handrail to guide us when difficult times visit us. We should be
emboldened by our values, particularly in times of stress. This professional outlook contributes
directly to Óglaigh na hÉireann remaining the most trusted public service institution in the
State.
Christmas is also a time for us to remember those who have gone before us, particularly in
2020. We remember our former colleagues who have died in the past year. Our thoughts and
prayers are with their families and friends at this time. As the pandemic has restricted normal
remembrance ceremonies, we will mark their passing when the public health guidance allows.
Go ndéana Dia trócaire orthú.
In conclusion, I would like to thank every member of Óglaigh na hÉireann for your devotion
to duty in 2020. I want you to know how immensely proud I am of each and every member of
Óglaigh na hÉireann. It is my privilege to have lead you through this difficult year, a year in
which we have shown our true value to the people of Ireland. I wish you and your families a
safe and happy Christmas and best wishes for the New Year. Nollag shona díbh go léir.
Mark Mellett
Vice Admiral
Chief Of Staff
Jacqui Mc Crum
Secretary General
Department of
Defence
Christmas Message
CHRISTMAS MESSAGE TO MEMBERS OF THE DEFENCE FORCES
FROM JACQUI McCRUM, SECRETARY GENERAL, DEPARTMENT OF DEFENCE.
DECEMBER 2020
Dear women and men of the Defence Forces
Firstly thank you for your commitment and service during 2020. I am privileged and delighted
to have this opportunity to convey Christmas greetings to all of you and your loved ones, both
on my own behalf and that of my colleagues in the Department.
In this strangest of years, the members of the Air Corps, Army and the Naval Service
continue to carry out their many roles with the professionalism, dedication and commitment,
in addition to responding and contributing to the particular challenges presented by the
Covid-19 pandemic.
I would especially like to thank and pay tribute to the many members of the Defence Forces
who are spending Christmas overseas, separated from their families and loved ones. For those
who are separated from their families, this pandemic year brings other worries, which are not
easy.
I would also like to remember all those serving and former members of the Defence Forces
who have lost their lives this year and for any of you who have suffered a family or friend loss
this year, when we couldn’t say goodbye as we usually would. Our thoughts and best wishes
are with all of you.
I am very privileged and proud to hold this position. I have met a number of you during my
first four months and I very much look forward to meeting and working with more of you
during 2021. In the meantime, I would like to wish all of you and your families a happy and
a peaceful Christmas. Here’s to 2021!
Jacqui Mc Crum
Secretary General
Ard Rúnaí
An Roinn Cosanta
Department of Defence
Séamus Ó Madagáin
Head Chaplain
Irish Defence Forces
Séamus Ó Madagáin
Christmas Message
A Chairde,
Greetings from the UNDOF Mission in SYRIA where I am currently serving with the 62
Infantry Group. It was in this part of the world, the Holy Land, over 2000 years ago, that on a
dark night in troubled times, God touched our world, quietly, gently and with light. Christmas
offers us a reason to be hopeful and joyful with an assurance that in troubled times God still
surrounds us quietly, gently and with light.
The birth of Jesus is not just an historical event but is also a living experience which invites
us to reach out in love each day to our families, friends and neighbours and even to those
who may not be our friends. We are invited to extend the hand of solidarity and support to
everyone in our beautiful yet fragile world. In our troubled times, we are stronger than we
think. The First Christmas is our centre of gravity and offers us an opportunity to reflect on
what was a truly fragile place, and yet a place of welcome for all people, embracing difference
and inclusivity. This year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are asked to look at new ways
we might reach out and truly embrace a ‘fuss-free’ Christmas. If only our eyes would see souls
instead of bodies, how different our ideals of a beautiful Christmas would be! I am reminded
of the words of the famous contemplative monk Henri Nouwen: “For Jesus, there are no
countries to be conquered, no ideologies to be imposed, no people to be dominated. There are
only children, women and men to be loved.”
Christmas will be different this year! We’ve been through so much in 2020. Like never before
our daily lives have changed, especially for our young adults, vulnerable people and senior
citizens. It has been a strange year living with the COVID-19 virus, yet we can all be so proud of
our Defence Forces who have been to the fore-front in responding to the needs of our people.
Thank you to everyone in Óglaigh na hÉireann, for the manner with which you have served
our country during the past year. Yes, it’s going to be a different Christmas for everyone, but
I believe it has the makings of a great Christmas. Social media and so many other means of
communication has kept us in touch with each other and especially with those far away from
home. I truly believe God is with us in these challenging times. I also believe each of us is
precious to God and our sensitivity to special moments and our reflection on experiences of
life can help us to refocus, so we might see this Christmas with true 20/20 vision!
To our colleagues serving overseas at this time; Go raibh míle maith agaibh, for your most
valuable service in the work of peace among our vulnerable sisters and brothers. I am really
honoured and privileged to join your ranks this year. Thanks also to our families, for your
support which is vital and very much appreciated. To all who are serving at home or overseas
during this Christmas season I thank you for your service, whether on land, sea or in the air.
To family and friends of deceased members of our Defence Forces, please be assured of my
prayers and those of our Chaplaincy Team at this time. May the souls of our serving and retired
personnel, especially those who died during the past year, Rest in Peace. Solas na bhFlaitheas
dár n-anamacha.
With good news emerging of various vaccines being developed and now rolled out to combat
the COVID-19 virus, 2021 is beginning to look a great deal brighter. We have come through a
difficult year which will be recorded in history; but it’s your experience and that of your family
which needs to be honoured, celebrated and maybe even commemorated this Christmas.
Never have the words of the great poet Seamus Heaney rang so true, “If we can winter this one
out, we can summer anywhere.” On behalf of the Chaplaincy Service, may I wish everyone in
Óglaigh na hÉireann, serving and retired, and your families a very Happy Christmas and every
blessing for a brighter 2021!
Beannachtaí na Nollag agus Síochán san AthBhliain!
An tAthair Séamus Ó Madagáin
Ceanncheathrú Óglaigh na hÉireann, Bóthar an Stáisiúin, Droichead
Nua, Contae Chill Dara, Éire
Defence Forces Headquarters, Station Road,
Newbridge, Co. Kildare, Ireland
