This afternoon Major General Maureen O'Brien was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal, with Honour, in recognition of her 42-year service to Óglaigh na hÉireann. She was awarded this medal by the Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces, Lieutenant General Seán Clancy at her stand down parade in Mc Kee Barracks.
This occasion marks the retirement of Major General Maureen O'Brien from the Defence Forces. She was the first female to be promoted the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, Colonel, Brigadier General and Major General. She was the first female Infantry Battalion Commander and also served as the Acting Force Commander of the UN Disengagement Observer Forces (UNDOF) Mission in the Golan, Syria. Major General O'Brien's most recent appointment was as Deputy Military Advisor to USG for Peace Operations in United Nations Headquarters, New York.
Major General Maureen O'Brien reflected on her service with Óglaigh na hÉireann during todays ceremony.
“I believe that I have been extremely lucky in my 42-year career in the Defence Forces but then you make your own luck. I found the harder I worked the luckier I got. Little did I know that when I was asked to deploy to UNDOF as Deputy Force Commander that it would lead to me becoming Deputy Military Advisor to the Under Secretary General for Peace Operations at the United Nations. It goes to show that when an opportunity presents itself, take it. You won't regret it but you might regret NOT taking it!”
The Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces, Lieutenant General Seán Clancy commended her service today and contribution to Óglaigh na hÉireann by saying:
“Within the Defence Forces it is essential that our young soldiers, sailors and aircrew have role models whom they can look up to and be inspired by. This is especially true for our female soldiers, serving in what was once traditionally considered to be a male career. Maureen has served as such a role model and demonstrated that members of Óglaigh na hÉireann should never limit their ambition in what they can achieve during their time in uniform.”
Major General Maureen O'Brien is awarded the Distinguished Service Medal by Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces, Lieutenant General Seán Clancy.
Left Secretary General of the Dept of Defence Jacqui McCrum, Centre Major General Maureen O'Brien, Right Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces, Lieutenant General Seán Clancy.
Major General Maureen O'Brien inspects the tri-service parade, escorted by Lieutenant Colonel Jayne Lawlor.
ENDS
Note to Editors:
Distinguished Service Medal
On 18 February 1964 a medal to be known as “An Bonn Seirbhíse Dearscna” or, in English, “The Distinguished Service Medal”, was introduced by the Defence Forces. The medal may be awarded to officers, non-commissioned officers and privates of the Defence Forces and to members of the Army Nursing and Chaplaincy Services in recognition of individual or associated acts of bravery, courage, leadership, resource or devotion to duty (other than any such acts or duty performed on war service) arising out of, or associated with, service in the Defence Forces.
Biography of Major General Maureen O'Brien
Before being awarded a Military Cadetship in the Irish Defence Forces, Major General (Maj Gen) Maureen O’Brien graduated from University College Galway (UCG) with a B.Sc. and H. Dip. Ed. In 1983 she was commissioned into the Infantry Corps, returning to the Cadet School, Military College, some years later as an Instructor. Since then, Maj Gen O’Brien has held many different appointments in operations, training and strategic planning. In 2011 she became the first female in the Irish Defence Forces to be promoted to the rank of Lt Col and in 2012 became the first female Infantry Battalion Commander when she was appointed Officer Commanding 27 Infantry Battalion in Dundalk. As Colonel, she held the appointment of Director of Communications and Information Services. In this role she was responsible for the provision of efficient and effective communications and information systems for the command, control and administration of the Defence Forces at home and overseas.
Maj Gen O’Brien has extensive overseas service. Her first two UN deployments were to Lebanon (UNIFIL). She has also served in Western Sahara (MINURSO) and East Timor (UNTAET). In 2005 she was seconded to the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in Sarajevo (BiH) for eighteen months. In 2009 she became the first Irish female officer to serve as a Deputy Commanding Officer of an Infantry Battalion in CHAD (MINURCAT). In 2012 she deployed to UNIFIL once more as Chief of Operations Planning in a multi-national Sector HQ in Lebanon. On promotion to Brigadier General in 2019, she deployed as Deputy Force Commander of the UN Disengagement Observer Forces (UNDOF) Mission in the Golan, Syria. She spent 11 of her 18-month deployment as the Acting Force Commander. In July ’21, Maj Gen O’Brien deployed to United Nations Headquarters, New York to take up the appointment of Deputy Military Advisor to USG for Peace Operations.
Maj Gen O’Brien has also completed a Post Graduate Diploma in Information Technology and holds a first-class Master’s Degree in Leadership, Management and Defence Studies.
