The Irish Defence Forces are set to spend around €700,000 on 48 new motorcycles for ceremonial use in providing “escorts of honour” for dignitaries.
The new motorbikes will replace the army’s existing fleet of 46 Honda Deauville 700cc models, which were purchased in 2008. These will be traded in as part of the upgrade.
Tenders are currently being sought for the contract to supply the 48 new bikes, which is valued at €700,000 plus VAT. They are expected to be delivered to the Curragh Camp in Kildare by the end of November.
Escorts of honour are provided by the 2nd Cavalry Squadron of the Defence Forces on ceremonial occasions such as visits by dignitaries, presidential inaugurations, and St. Patrick’s Day parades.
According to the Defence Forces website, these displays “add dignity to the occasion by the general bearing, turn out and dressing out of the escort”. A spokesperson said that maintaining a motorbike fleet of “sufficient standard” is essential due to the nature of the duties performed.
However, the significant outlay on vehicles for use solely on ceremonial occasions is likely to be questioned in light of the Government’s repeated refusal to improve pay and conditions for Defence Forces personnel.
Last week, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar ruled out fast-tracking pay restoration for the military despite facing a recruitment and retention crisis. His comments followed public criticism and calls for improved conditions by a number of retired officers.
A military spokesperson said that the existing fleet of Escort of Honour motorbikes are due for disposal in 2020 under the Defence Forces vehicle disposal policy. The new bikes will be ready for ceremonial duties from next January.
The 48 new bikes include both an operational and training fleet, and there is a possibility that additional purchases will be made over the course of a two-year contract with the successful tenderer.
“The contract value at €700,000 should be seen as an estimate only. The exact value will be known once the tender if completed,” he added.
An escort of honour was first provided by the Defence Forces for the 31st Eucharistic Congress in June 1932. The original mounted unit was replaced by motorcycle escorts in 1949.
The first full presidential escort was provided for Sean T. O’Kelly in May 1956. The motor squadron provided an escort of honour at the inauguration of Eamon de Valera in 1959, and has been present at every presidential inauguration since then.
International dignitaries who have received an escort of honour from the Defence Forces include former US presidents John F Kennedy, Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton.
Solidarity TD Paul Murphy described the purchase of the motorcycles as an obscene waste of money on what is “essentially a vanity project to show off to visiting dignitaries”.
“There is currently a crisis of pay, of conditions, and of morale in the Defence Forces,” he said.
“It recently emerged that over 500 Defence Forces personnel were sleeping on ships because they could not afford rent, and the Department failed to provide accommodation for them.
“At a time when 84 percent of the personnel are earning less than the national average, it is obscene to waste money on what is essentially a vanity project to show off to visiting dignitaries,” said Mr Murphy.
