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The origin of the Air Corps goes back to the Anglo-Irish Treaty talks of 1921, when a Martinsyde Type A Mark II biplane was purchased in order to allow Michael Collins to escape back to Ireland if the talks failed. In the event it was not needed for this mission, and it became the first Irish military aircraft, arriving in June 1922.
By the end of 1922 the Air Corps comprised ten aircraft (including 6 Bristol F2B fighters from the First World War), and about 400 men.
During the 1930s funds were not plentiful, but in 1938 four Gloster Gladiator biplane fighters were delivered -- a further eight were ordered but were embargoed by the outbreak of the Second World War, referred to in neutral Ireland as "The Emergency".
During The Emergency there is no record of Air Corps planes engaging any belligerent aircraft, although dozens of escaped barrage balloons were shot down. 163 belligerent aircraft force-landed in Ireland during the war, and in this way the Air Corps acquired a Lockheed Hudson, a Fairey Battle, and three Hawker Hurricanes.
The Hurricane gave the Air Corps a proven modern fighter, and at some stage no fewer than 20 flew in Irish colours.
After the war, the Hurricanes were replaced by Supermarine Seafires and a few two-seat SpitfireThe Supermarine Spitfire was a single seat fighter used by the RAF and many Allied countries in World War II. The Spitfire's elliptical wings gave it a very distinctive look; their thin cross-section gave it speed; the brilliant design of Chief Designer R trainers. The de Havilland Dove became the Corps' transport aircraft. The jet age arrived on 30 June 19561956 is a leap year starting on Sunday. see link for calendar) Events January January 1 End of Anglo- Egyptian Condominium in Sudan. January 16 President Gamal Abdal Nasser of Egypt vows to reconquer Palestine January 26 1956 Winter Olympic Games open in when the Corps took delivery of a de Havilland VampireThe de Havilland Vampire was the second jet engined aircraft commissioned by the Royal Air Force during WW II, although it never saw combat. After the war, it served with the front-line RAF until 1955. It also served with foreign air forces, including tho T.55 trainer.
In 1963Events January-March January 11 The Whisky A Go-Go night club in Los Angeles, the first disco in the USA, is opened. January 14 George Wallace becomes governor of Alabama. January 22 Elysee treaty between France and Germany January 28 Black student Harvey the Corps took delivery of its first helicopters, Allouette III s, of which seven remain in service at the start of the 21st century. In their time, 3,300 people have been assisted by these helicopters in their Search and Rescue and air ambulance roles.
In the mid- 1970sMillennia: 1st millennium 2nd millennium 3rd millennium Centuries: 19th century 20th century 21st century Decades: 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s Years: 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 Events and trends the expansion of the Ministerial Air Transport Service (MATS) following Ireland's accession to the European Economic Community (now the European UnionFor other uses, see EU (disambiguation). The European Union or EU is a supranational organisation of 25 European states. It was established with that name by the Treaty on European Union (commonly known as the Maastricht Treaty) in 1992 but many aspects o) led to the acquisition of the Corps' first business jet, a BAe 125-700.