Dermot Earley
Dermot Earley ( Irish : Diarmuid Ó Mochóir ; born February 24, 1948 in Gortaganny , County Roscommon , Ireland ; † June 23, 2010 ) was an Irish Gaelic football player and a lieutenant general of the Irish Army until shortly before his death.
biography
Military career
Earley joined the Irish Armed Forces ( Óglaigh na hÉireann ) as a cadet in 1965 after finishing school . Between 1975 and 1977 he was an officer on a UN mission in the Middle East . He was one of the first soldiers to serve in the Army Ranger Wing ( Sciathán Fianóglach an Airm ) established in March 1980 . Between 1982 and 1983 he was an officer in the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).
After serving within the Irish Armed Forces, Earley was Deputy Military Advisor to UN Secretary-General Javier Pérez de Cuéllar at United Nations Headquarters in New York City from 1987 to 1991 . After his promotion to lieutenant colonel in 1995, he became commander of the 27th Infantry Battalion on the inner-Irish border. He was promoted to colonel in 2001 , brigadier general in December 2003, and major general in March 2004 .
In April 2007 he was promoted to lieutenant general and to succeed Lt. Gen. James Sreenan Chief of the General Staff ( Chief of Staff of the Defense Forces appointed). He held this position until June 13, 2010, when he took early retirement for health reasons . He was succeeded by Major General Sean McCann.
Athletic career
Dermot Earley was also an outstanding Gaelic football player and played for the clubs Michael Glavey's GAA and Sarsfields GAA Kildare in midfield ( Lár na páirce ) for around 20 years . He was also a member of the County Roscommon team, Roscommon GAA, at games between the counties from 1965 to 1985. With this he won the Connacht Senior Football Championship five times in 1972, 1977, 1978, 1979 and 1985 and the National Football League Cup in 1978/79. In 1974 and 1979 he was one of the winners of the GAA All Stars Awards . He and his team never won the Sam Maguire Cup at the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship , but only took second place in the final in Croke Park in 1980 against the team from County Kerry .
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| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Earley, Dermot |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Ó Mochóir, Diarmuid (Irish) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Irish Lieutenant General and Gaelic football player |
| DATE OF BIRTH | February 24, 1948 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Gortaganny , County Roscommon, Ireland |
| DATE OF DEATH | June 23, 2010 |