RIR's Tour Of Duty 'On Parade' In Belfast

The first of a short series of dramatic presentations on the work of one of NI's 'own' regiments in strife-torn Afghanistan is taking place today - but a Belfast homecoming parade has once again been ruled out.

There was a strong police presence all day outside Belfast's Ulster Hall as Lieutenant Colonel Colin Weir of 1 Royal Irish Regiment (RIR) and several of his officers and soldiers from the Battalion paraded their military expertise with a sophisticated display of the worst and best of their recent tour of duty in the troubled county.

Big screen video and sound presentations were set-up in the historic hall for the 'charm offensive' with the RIR also due to host similar events in the North West at which they are to again describe their contribution to developments within Afghanistan.

On operation, the RIR Battlegroup mounted a series of offensive operations over six months throughout Nad-e’Ali to defeat the insurgency in the dense Canal Zone enabling the Afghan Government to deliver stabilisation and governance for their people.

However, the deployment came at a high price as the RIR lost three soldiers during their time in Helmand Province - Ranger Aaron McCormick from Macosquin and Lance Corporal Stephen McKee from Banbridge were killed in action and Ranger David Dalzell from Bangor who was killed in an operational accident.

Information 'Paraded'

Part-time TA solders "blending in to become indistinguishable" from their regular colleagues as over 1,000 troops made up the Royal Irish battle group including Royal Engineers, specialist drivers and bomb disposal officers went to war.

Major Jamie Humphreys said all the soldiers worked 18 to 20 hours a day during operations, working tirelessly to provide security for local communities.

"Perhaps the most telling measure of success was not in the number of insurgents killed, but of the shift in consent of the local population.

"As we were leaving, they openly told us they didn't want us to leave," Major Humphreys said.

Lt Colonel Colin Weir, also spoke of his pride in his multi-national unit, but particularly of the "fighting spirit" and togetherness of soldiers from both sides of the border - Protestant and Catholic - side by side in battle.

The indoor function in Belfast was in contrast to the way that the RIR has recently taken to the streets of NI communities to celebrate their return from the conflict - as controversially - there was no repeat of a previous Belfast homecoming parade.

Despite an appeal to the Defence Secretary and even to PM, David Cameron, the Royal Irish refused Belfast City Council's invitation last month.

In response, around 200 protestors gathered in numbers at Belfast City Hall to oppose the Ministry of Defence's decision not to go ahead with a Royal Irish Regiment march through Belfast.

While three regional parades took place, the soldiers attending a thanks-giving service in Belfast late last month were not permitted to parade on the streets of the capital.

Stormont First Minister Peter Robinson was amongst those who attended the service of thanksgiving and remembrance at St Anne's Cathedral, where a wreath was laid to commemorate the three RIR soldiers who died during the regiment's deployment.

In counterpoint to the refusal of a parade in the capital, some 200 soldiers took to the streets of their former garrison town in Ballymena to formally exercise their freedom of the borough and be welcomed home from their tour in Afghanistan.

Lisburn City Council also later met in special session to confer the freedom of the city on the RIR and their soldiers as they paraded through that garrison city.

Soldiers from the 2nd Battalion TA who also served in Afghanistan also 'exercised' the freedom of Castlereagh in a parade the following weekend, before moving to Hillsborough Castle for a ceremony with their families and friends in order to receive their service medals.

Even Stormont First Minister Peter Robinson, a former mayor of the borough, was again among those who attended this third and final homecoming parade and to see the troops presented with specially minted commemorative medals during the ceremony.

The Ministry of Defence was initially heavily criticised after it refused a request to stage a military parade through Belfast city centre because of "post-deployment operational commitments".

Instead, the RIR gathered at St Anne's Cathedral in Belfast for a thanksgiving and remembrance service - with no march-past - a move that was widely seen as being because of disruption by republican protestors at a previous parade in 2008.

See: Royal Irish Refuse Belfast Parade Invitation

See: QUB Students 'Rage Against RIR'

See: Parade Passes Peacefully

See: Soldiers Remembered In Cross Border Commemoration

(BMcC/GK)