It's 1970 and the Irish army are plotting to invade Northern Ireland... Michael Kennedy tells the story of how the Defence Forces were asked by the Minister for Defence Jim Gibbons 'to prepare and train the Army for incursions into Northern Ireland’ after violence erupted there in 1969. It was a time of heightened tensions and many in Government believed it was time to take action. But what if the political rhetoric became a military reality? 'The Irish Defence Forces have been historically and habitually let down by their political masters when it comes to funding. Despite some investment in modern equipment in the mid-1960s, actual strength was well below paper strength, equipment was old and obsolete, or completely lacking and combat efficiency was low.' https://www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2025/0130/1492786-irish-defence-forces-1970-exercise-armageddon-northern-ireland-invasion/