Defence Forces spent almost €1.25 million on recruitment advertising in last two years

Ken Foxe

The Defence Forces has spent almost €1.25 million on recruitment advertising over the past two years, trying to drum up interest among new recruits.

Spending was considerably down last year to a total of €490,739, which was around two-thirds of the just over €750,000 that was spent in 2021.

More than half the money – or €666,000 – went on online campaigns on Instagram, Facebook, with Snapchat and TikTok also proving particularly adept at generating interest from potential recruits.

A further €198,000 was spent on print advertising with another €140,000 spent on radio campaigns, according to figures released under FOI.

The remaining money of just over €235,000 was spent on TV ads for recruitment, said the Defence Forces, who have faced more than a week of controversy over their handling of claims of abuse within the organisation.

According to the military, the various recruitment campaigns they ran led to applications from 17,189 different people over the course of 2021 and 2022.

From those applications, 956 ended up being inducted into the Defence Forces, with the vast majority of the new recruits entering general service.

Figures for 2022 show there were 1,419 applications for cadetships, with 45 of those applicants accepted for a military career.

There were another 5,416 applicants for general service, of whom 350 were inducted into the Defence Forces.

A total of 898 people applied for specialist positions with just 25 ending up joining the military.

For 2021, there had been 1,760 applications for cadetships, with 56 of the applicants being inducted into the Defence Forces.

Another 6,709 people applied for general service roles, with 442 signing up for a career in the military.

Altogether, 987 people applied to become a specialist in 2021, 38 of whom were inducted.

A Defence Forces spokesperson said: “Óglaigh na hÉireann offers a diverse range of recruitment opportunities across its three services, from general service recruits and cadets to highly specialised technically proficient soldiers, sailors and aircrew.

“Óglaigh na hÉireann offers a chance for successful applicants to Be More with fully funded education and training, with skills not available elsewhere that develop confidence, leadership and teamwork.”