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!