2 R IRISH HIT THE GROUND RUNNING IN 2016

2RIRISH started the year off with a hectic series of activities:

• Ex FROSTED BLADE final competition runs, which placed 2R IRISH in 8th place out of 36 teams – not bad for only the second year of competition. 
• Mortar Platoon training in Otterburn.
• A busy programme of engagements for The Band and Bugles, Pipes and Drums, leading to the B (NIH) Sqn, The Scottish and North Irish Yeomanry’s Freedom parade on 30 Jan in Carrickfergus.  
• A Recce team visit to Cyprus under command of OC C Company, to plan for the annual Ex LION STAR which takes place in May. During the recce the team took time out to meet some of the lads who are currently deployed on Op TOSCA with 1SCOTs. 
• On OC C Company’s return from Cyprus, he joined his Company on a joint Defensive Ops weekend where some 85 soldiers from C Coy, supported by HQ Coy, conducted a 24hr FTX which included two Assault Pioneer sections and one Machine Gun section with HQ Company providing signals and Intelligence Cell support.  The patrols platoon did specialist training including vehicle contact drills while new soldiers underwent extra training under the RRMT section. On Sunday troops carried out a Navex combined with a stretcher race.
   
• On Sunday 30th Jan the Battalion fielded 53 runners who turned up at a wind-swept Ballykinler Training Area for the annual Battalion Orienteering Competition.  Capt Two challenging courses were planned, a Long 5.1 km and a Short 3.8km.  As this is part of the overall Battalion champion company competition, once all the runners were counted, B Company picked up the points towards the Champion Company with C Company a close second.
• On Saturday 19th March, the Battalion held their St Patrick’s Day Parade at Thiepval Barracks and Her Majesty’s lord Lieutenant for County Antrim, Mrs Joan Christie OBE, presented the soldiers with their Shamrocks.