Last updated 20 July 1999

Welcome, friend! These pictures were taken in the Republic of Ireland from 13 June-2 July. I was there for the United Nations Mission Observer and Staff Officer Course (UNMOSOC), presented by the United Nations Training School - Ireland (UNTSI). I completed the school with a grade of UNSatisfactory (A little UN humour, like UNEfficiency and UNTimeliness). My wife convinced me (read: forced me) to make this our second honeymoon, so she spent a week with me while I wasn't in class. This is Col. MacDonald, the commandant of UNTSI. Yes, he's of Scottish descent, but he's all Irish. You will find that the Irish consider the Scotts to be cousins, speaking almost the same language, and with the same infestation of Brittons. They are proud that, in all their history, they have never sent an army off their island to conquer anyone else. Sure, they send them to fight in other people's wars, but they do not, themselves, wage wars.

These are picks from Stacy's visit to a non-descript castle.
	These cool walls are all over, and I had to have a picture of one. As you can see by comparing it to Stacy, it's pretty high. It's made up of local stone, and is therefore really cheap. This one is probably around a century old, I think. I really like the moss and grass growing all over them. I plan on having a few of these when I retire, so please start saving rocks for me now.
	I laughed, and immediately thought of John. This was on the gate that led into the castle, which is right off the road. The castle was really in bad disrepair. While walking in the kitchen and barracks underneath, Stacy was scared of it caving in on her, but I was more afraid of falling through the ground into the kitchen while I was walking around the courtyard. Well worth your time to see, though.
An action pose. This was a stair that led up to the main yard of the castle. You can almost see the state of disrepair it's in. The staircase was a very precarious climb, and right at the top where the tuffet is, there is a hole which falls straight down into the barracks, about fifteen feet down. You can see the sky through the back wall which led out towards someone's house.
	This is the main courtyard, surrounded by walls. Under this yard is the barracks and kitchens. How green the grass is. Just to the left of the photographer is the staircase from the previous photo, and you can see how the walls on the right have fallen. Behind the photographer, and also on the far side of the yard, is a chimney that leads up from the kitchens below. This is all the larger that the castle is. Also, it is built up, so that, if you can tell by the trees on the left, it sits higher than the surrounding grounds. From the guardrooms and barracks below, you can stare out the windows at ground level. The windows aren't big enough for a man, but are big enough for a bow, or to stick a pole or claymore through. If attacked from the front, it would be very defensible. I cannot say the same from the back.
These are random picks of Ireland.
	Just a little further up the road is a holy well. You can just make out the pair of crutches leaning against the statue of St. Patrick. This was one of the navigation points on a course they laid for us, and I had to bring Stacy to see it. These, castle, ringforts, mounds, and standing stones litterally abound across Ireland. At least, across the lands surrounding the Curragh Military Training Center where UNTSI is located. Water springs forth from the niche you can see behind me, and is said to have miraculous powers. People come to bathe or drink the waters from these holy wells. It flows up, and forms a small stream that leads along the channel to the left. It is an Irish tradition to throw in a pound any time you stop by one. Behind the statue is a graveyard. Stacy is standing almost in the road to take this photo.
	At the end of course dinner they had an Irish Army Private, 3rd Star, from the band play pipes. These are LOUD. He's wearing the traditional saffron colored kilt, which is what everyone wore before "Braveheart" made tartan kilts popular. His shoes are black, with a huge brass buckle, that can only be described as looking like a leprechaun's. The poor guy played 3 songs, and tried to beat an exit, but the general wanted him to come into the officer's bar and play a couple of traditional tunes.
These are picks from a Medical Evacuation practical exercise during my course.
	Part of the training was in MedEvac. I pretended to be a non-english speaking foreigner (so I was just one of the crew). Here you see (clockwise from the front) Maj John Bonofas (Phillipines), Maj Benson Banda (Zambia), Maj David Ahmadu (Nigeria), and Capt Brian Ryan ( Ireland), strapping me down to the immobilizing backboard. The exercise was such that I pretended to be incapacitated, and they had to carry me accross a football (that's soccer to you and me) field to the awaiting helicoptor.
	These livestock filters were all over the Curragh because of the sheep. Here it acted as an obstacle course for the litter bearers. I can't tell you what fun it is to be tilted, head down, while being man-handled over this.
	And away I flew. This is a French built Alluette. Note the distinctive Irish markings. This helicoptor has a crew of two: an officer pilot and an enlisted loadmaster/paramedic. There is enough additional space to cram one patient in the doorway, but the paramedic won't have enough room to work around him. Never mind the fact that the patient is strapped to a backboard that isn't strapped to the helicoptor. Anyway, I had a fun time being bound, laying on my back, staring into the bright blue Irish sky, telling the pilot that I am in the Air Force, but don't fly.

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