We were surprised to see navy ships docked around a small island in Cork Harbour. Turns out it’s Haulbowline Island, the headquarters of the Irish Naval Service, the maritime component of the Irish Defence Forces. Why should I be surprised that the Republic of Ireland has a navy? The country is almost entirely surrounded by water.
Current fleet size: 9 patrol vessels, plus several smaller training vessels. Four of the patrol vessels are named after Irish authors. Now, that’s my kind of navy!
Major roles (according to Wikipedia): fisheries protection, sea patrol, surveillance, and smuggling prevention.
The owner of our hotel claims that it’s the only navy in the world that comes home every evening for tea!
Yikes, what is smuggled in from the Irish Sea? and will Brexit make it worse ?
How entirely proper that they come home for tea!