Irish Defence Forces Veterans Association, TSSA Office, 1 Nerney Court, Dublin 1, Dublin (2026)

09/10/2026

WORLD MENTAL HEALTH DAY — 10 OCTOBER
VETERANS HELPING VETERANS: TRAINING, PURPOSE AND RECOVERY

Tomorrow is World Mental Health Day—a reminder to look beyond the uniform, the medals and the words “I’m fine.”

We were trained to carry weight: our kit, our responsibilities and the welfare of the person beside us. Long after service ends, some of us are still carrying things nobody else can see.

Leaving the Defence Forces can bring challenges with identity, injury, isolation and mental health. Our experience, skills and ability to contribute remain valuable.

As Director of Training within the Irish Defence Forces Veterans Association, I believe training and upskilling can help veterans rebuild confidence, restore routine, reconnect with comrades and find new opportunities. Alongside appropriate care and support, learning can renew a sense of purpose.

My own journey through service, C-PTSD and recovery has taught me the value of accepting help—and having people beside you as you find your footing again.

To every veteran struggling in silence: YOU DON’T HAVE TO CARRY THIS ALONE.

Start with a conversation. A cuppa. A walk with a comrade. You don’t need perfect words to say, “I’m finding things difficult.”

If you’re doing well, check on your buddy. Ask how they’re really feeling. Listen. Stay in touch. Let that care continue beyond World Mental Health Day.

SUPPORT IN IRELAND

• Samaritans: 116 123 — free, 24/7.
• Pieta: 1800 247 247, or text HELP to 51444 — 24/7; standard text rates apply.
• Text About It: text HELLO to 50808 — free, 24/7. Customers of 48, An Post and Clear Mobile can use WhatsApp through textaboutit.ie or text 086 180 0280; standard SMS charges may apply.
• ONE veteran support: 01 485 0666.
• IDFVA community and training enquiries: [email protected].

If someone is in immediate danger, call 112 or 999, or go to the nearest emergency department. For urgent support, contact a crisis service rather than waiting for an email reply.

We trained together. We served together. Now we help one another rebuild, retrain and move forward.

VETERANS HELPING VETERANS.
WE LEAVE NO ONE BEHIND.

Stephen Doyle
Director of Training | IDFVA

08/10/2026

We value our people. Our commitment does not end when the uniform comes off.

I have stood beside good people on parade grounds, on overseas service and through the demands of military life. I know the trust that grows when you depend on one another.

That bond carries a responsibility: to keep showing up for each other after service.

Behind every veteran is a person with experience to offer, a future to build and a story that deserves to be heard. Some find their direction quickly. Others need time, support and someone willing to walk beside them.

At Safety and Security Solutions, supporting veterans is personal. It means valuing their skills, encouraging training and upskilling, and helping build confidence and opportunities for the next chapter.

It also means making the call. Sharing a cup of tea. Asking, “How are you really doing?”—and taking the time to listen.

To employers: recognise what veterans can bring. Give their experience an opportunity to count.

To our fellow veterans: you still have a place, a purpose and people who care.

We stood together then. We stand together now.
Veterans helping veterans. We leave no one behind.

— Stephen Doyle
Safety and Security Solutions
IDFVA Training officer

P.S. Safety and Security Solutions is proud to support the Emergency Services & Military Expo 2027 as a founding member. Join us at Westmanstown Sports & Conference Centre on 22 April, 10am–4pm, to explore opportunities during and after service. "Free tickets" (https://lnkd.in/exXQwsd3).

08/10/2026

In case no one has told you lately…
You are not a burden.

It is okay to struggle. It is okay to admit that things have become heavy, and it is okay to ask for help.

As Irish veterans, we were trained to push through pain, complete the mission and look after those around us. That strength served us in uniform—but real strength can also mean saying:

“I’m not okay. I need someone beside me.”

Leaving the Defence Forces does not always mean leaving the battlefield behind. Some battles continue quietly—in our thoughts, our memories and the long hours of the night.

Struggling does not make you weak. Asking for support does not make you a burden.

🇮🇪 You are worth helping.

You are worth listening to.

You are worth fighting for.

Recovery is possible. Tomorrow can look different from today, but you do not have to reach it alone.

If a veteran comes into your thoughts, make contact. Call them. Visit them. Sit down for a cup of tea. Listen without judgement and stay connected. You do not need perfect words—you just need to be there.

Ask the second question:

“How are you, really?”

If you are the one struggling, please tell someone—a family member, friend, fellow veteran, GP, counsellor or somebody you trust.

Support in Ireland

Emergency: Call 112 or 999, or go to your nearest Emergency Department.

Samaritans Ireland: Freephone 116 123, 24 hours a day.

Pieta: Freephone 1800 247 247 or text HELP to 51444, 24 hours a day.

Text About It: Free-text HELLO to 50808, 24 hours a day.

SOSAD Ireland: 1800 901 909.

Aware Support Line: 1800 80 48 48.

Childline: 1800 66 66 66 for children and young people.

The HSE also recommends contacting your GP for an emergency appointment or contacting your mental-health team if you are already under its care. Current national guidance is available from the HSE.

Do not give up. Your story is still being written.

Veterans supporting veterans—no judgement, no shame and no one left behind.

Irish Defence Forces Veteran Support

ONE Veterans — Óglaigh Náisiúnta na hÉireann (Organisation of National Ex-Service Personnel): Provides confidential counselling, advocacy, nationwide Veteran Support Centres and accommodation for homeless veterans.

Head Office: 01 485 0666

Email: [email protected]

Website: one-veterans.org

Address: Brú na bhFiann, Smithfield Market, North King Street, Dublin 7, D07 HD72.

ONE’s services are available to all veterans of the Irish Defence Forces. Its work is founded on four principles:

Support • Comradeship • Advocacy • Remembrance

If you are struggling, contact ONE or speak with someone through your local ONE branch or Veteran Support Centre. You served your country—you should never feel that you must face the battle alone.

No Irish veteran should be left behind.

08/10/2026

VETERANS HELPING VETERANS — TRAINING, PURPOSE AND RECOVERY

Leaving the Defence Forces does not mean leaving behind the values, discipline and abilities developed during service. However, the transition into civilian life can be difficult, particularly for veterans experiencing injury, isolation, loss of identity or mental-health challenges.

Within the Irish Defence Forces Veterans Association, we believe training and upskilling can play an important role in a veteran’s recovery and transition.

Learning provides more than a qualification. It can restore routine, rebuild confidence and renew a sense of purpose. It helps veterans recognise that their military experience remains valuable while developing the skills needed for new careers and opportunities.

Through veteran-led training, mentoring and practical support, we can help former personnel:

- Rebuild confidence and self-belief
- Translate military experience into civilian qualifications
- Develop new professional and personal skills
- Reconnect with comrades and the wider community
- Improve employment and career opportunities
- Rediscover direction, structure and purpose

Recovery is not about forgetting who we were. It is about recognising what we still have to offer and preparing ourselves for the next mission in life.

Sometimes the first step forward is simply entering a classroom, learning something new and discovering that we are still capable of far more than we realise.

We trained together. We served together. Now we help one another rebuild, retrain and move forward.

Veterans helping veterans—because no veteran should make the journey alone.

08/10/2026

YOU DON’T HAVE TO CARRY THIS ALONE.

We were trained to carry weight. Kit, responsibility and the welfare of the person beside us. Sometimes, long after service ends, we’re still carrying things nobody else can see.

To every Irish veteran struggling in silence: you deserve support, understanding and someone who will listen.

Start with a conversation. A cuppa. A walk with a comrade. You don’t need the perfect words to say, “I’m finding things difficult.”

If you’re doing well, check on your buddy. Ask how they’re really feeling. Listen. Stay in touch.

SUPPORT IN IRELAND

• Samaritans: 116 123 — free, 24/7.
• Pieta: 1800 247 247 — free, 24/7, or text HELP to 51444 (standard message rates apply).
• Text About It: text HELLO to 50808 — free, 24/7.
• ONE veteran support: 01 485 0666.
• IDFVA community contact: [email protected].

If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 112 or 999, or go to the nearest emergency department. For urgent support, use the crisis services above rather than waiting for an email reply.

Veterans supporting veterans.
We leave no one behind.

08/10/2026

Shout out to my newest followers! Excited to have you onboard! Michael Dunford, William Lewis

05/10/2026

VTERANS YOU DON’T HAVE TO CARRY THIS ALONE.

We were trained to carry weight. Kit, responsibility and the welfare of the person beside us. Sometimes, long after service ends, we’re still carrying things nobody else can see.

To every Irish veteran struggling in silence: you deserve support, understanding and someone who will listen.

Start with a conversation. A cuppa. A walk with a comrade. You don’t need the perfect words to say, “I’m finding things difficult.”

If you’re doing well, check on your buddy. Ask how they’re really feeling. Listen. Stay in touch.

SUPPORT IN IRELAND

• Samaritans: 116 123 — free, 24/7.
• Pieta: 1800 247 247 — free, 24/7, or text HELP to 51444 (standard message rates apply).
• Text About It: text HELLO to 50808 — free, 24/7.
• ONE veteran support: 01 485 0666.
• IDFVA community contact: [email protected].

If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 112 or 999, or go to the nearest emergency department. For urgent support, use the crisis services above rather than waiting for an email reply.

Veterans supporting veterans.
We leave no one behind.

02/10/2026

The corporate world does not need more noise. It needs leadership, judgement and accountability.

True leadership is not defined by the size of an office, the value of a company or the title beneath a name. It is revealed when pressure rises, uncertainty enters the boardroom and difficult decisions must be made.

After more than 35 years operating across military, security and corporate environments, I have learned that lasting success is built on clear principles:

• People before ego
• Preparation before reaction
• Integrity before convenience
• Judgement before assumption
• Action before excuses

The strongest organisations do not simply respond to risk—they anticipate it. They invest in their people, challenge complacency and build resilience into every level of their operations.

Technology can provide intelligence. Systems can support decisions. But responsibility ultimately rests with people who have the experience and courage to lead.

In today’s corporate arena, reputation, resilience and trust are not abstract values. They are strategic assets—and once lost, they are difficult to recover.

Leadership is not about appearing powerful.

It is about remaining calm when others become uncertain, making the difficult call when others hesitate, and accepting responsibility when the outcome rests on your shoulders.

Stephen Doyle
CEO | Safety and Security Solutions
Strategic Security & Risk Advisor

02/10/2026

🇮🇪 TODAY WE REMEMBER — CPL PETER WARD 🇺🇳

Today marks 34 years since Cpl Peter Ward lost his life while serving with the Irish Defence Forces in South Lebanon on 29 September 1992.

Behind every name on a memorial is a person.

A soldier.
A son.
A husband.
A father.
A friend.
A comrade.

And behind every soldier who never made it home is a family who carries their memory for the rest of their lives.

Cpl Peter Ward now rests here in Coosan Cemetery, Athlone, and today we remember not only his service and sacrifice, but the man behind the uniform.

More than three decades may have passed, but time does not erase sacrifice, and remembrance does not have an expiry date.

Today, as the Irish Tricolour flies at Coosan Memorial, may it fly proudly in his honour and in honour of every Irish peacekeeper who served far from home in the cause of peace. 🇮🇪🇺🇳

34 years gone.
Never forgotten.

Rest in peace, Cpl Peter Ward my friend. 🕊️

29 September 1992

Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis. 🇮🇪

Irish Defence Forces Veterans Association

09/10/2026

08/10/2026

08/10/2026

08/10/2026

08/10/2026

08/10/2026

05/10/2026

02/10/2026

02/10/2026

Address

Website

Alerts

Contact The Organisation

Shortcuts

Share

Category

Listing takedown request