SIX IRISH people turned up yesterday at a British army centre in Fermanagh, pledged allegiance to Queen Elizabeth and walked away as recruits. Five of them are from the Republic, the other from Strabane.
Col Dick Rafferty, the head of recruitment responsible for bringing some 700 young people into the forces annually, stresses there is "nothing new" in people from the South joining the British army.
"There is less of a stigma in telling your friends and family that you've joined," he says. "Perhaps we are seeing old prejudices and preconceptions being put to one side or erased."
Andrew Warrington (22), from Co Mayo, is a former member of the Defence Forces but had to leave because of injury. Because the British army offered to readmit him to military life more quickly, he jumped at the chance. He says his family "are thrilled", while his friends "are grand with it".
He signed for the Royal Irish Regiment, and is down for eventual deployment in Afghanistan.
He admits: "It was kind of scary at first but now I realise it's a job and a good job. Your job takes you away to work on a mission. That's what you do, you go with the flow."
Anthony Kerins (16) leaves for the Army Foundation College in Harrogate on Sunday for more schooling and training.
He joined "to go places . . . to have a good job, to meet good people and get out into the world".
He will also join the Royal Irish Regiment, while others who signed up yesterday will join the Parachute Regiment, the Irish Guards or the Royal Engineers.
Sgt Gavin O'Neill from Tallaght is one of two recruitment officers in Enniskillen.
"My father is still a serving soldier in the Irish Army, and I applied to join shortly after doing my Leaving Cert but I was unsuccessful. The other options open were the French Foreign Legion or the British army, so I chose the British and I joined up."