Athlone native given high profile role in Defence Forces

Brigadier General Brian Cleary (pictured above) has been appointed as General Officer Commanding 1 Brigade, based in Collins Barracks in Cork city.

This follows his recent appointment as Commander, Joint Task Force, which was established on March 19 as part of Ireland's response to the Covid-19 threat.

A native of Athlone, Co. Westmeath, Brigadier General Cleary joined the Defence Forces in 1981 as a member of the 58th Cadet Class and was commissioned as an officer into the Artillery Corps in 1983. He currently resides in Kildare.

Brigadier General Cleary has held a wide variety of roles and appointments in the Artillery Corps, DF Public Relations, DF Special Operations, DF Military College and DFHQ Operations Division.

He has extensive overseas service with the United Nations, EU and NATO deploying to Lebanon, Western Sahara, East Timor, Cote D’Ivoire, Chad and Afghanistan.

Brigadier General Cleary holds a master’s degree in Organisational Behaviour (MSc OB) from Trinity College, Dublin and a master’s degree in Leadership, Management & Defence Studies from the National University of Ireland, Maynooth.

Brigadier General Cleary is married to Martina and they have four children. His interests include reading, sports, outdoor pursuits, triathlon and choral singing.