The number of Irish citizens joining the British army has almost halved within the space of a year, new figures reveal. According to official figures from the Ministry of Defence (MoD), 70 Irish people signed up to join the British army in 2012. The number represents a 44 per cent drop on the previous year when 123 Irish passport holders were recruited. Up to 2012 the number of Irish citizens who joined Britain's armed forces had increased over the five previous years to its highest since the Second World War. Analysts believe a number of factors may have prompted the decline, including threats from dissident republicans, the scaling down of army operations and the Republic's improving economic fortunes.
Last Christmas gardai foiled a plot by dissident republicans to target a Limerick-born soldier serving with the British army while he was home on leave. The soldier had been befriended on Facebook by a man who pretended to be interested in military matters.
The Continuity IRA have also threatened Irish citizens serving with Britain's armed forces.