Tipperary man who was army chief of staff remembered at special ceremony

A plaque has been unveiled at the Kickham Plaza in Clonmel, on the site of the town’s former army barracks, in memory of the late Lieutenant General David Stapleton, who was a former Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces.

The late Lieut General Stapleton, late of Anne Street, Clonmel, passed away at his home in Newbridge, county Kildare in June 2016.

The plaque was unveiled by his daughters Barbara and Aimee and was blessed by Bishop Alphonsus Cullinan.

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Clonmel’s Mayor Pat English said that it was great that they were honouring David Stapleton’s memory in this way.

He had been born only a stone’s throw away from the Kickham Plaza in Parnell Street.

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“He had served his country well and never forgot where he came from,” said the Mayor.

Cllr English welcomed his family to the unveiling, including his wife Maureen; daughter Barbara McNamara, her husband Brendan and their daughter Nicole; David and Maureen’s youngest daughter Aimee Finucane, her husband Seamus and their son Dylan.

David and Maureen’s son David was out of the country and sent his regards.

Cllr English also welcomed David Stapleton’s many former comrades, especially those who had served with him on overseas tours of duty. In particular he praised George Kerton and Leonard Devine, who were instrumental in organising the memorial ceremony.

The Mayor thanked Tipperary County Council, who sponsored and erected the memorial plaque.

David Stapleton joined the army as a member of 30th Cadet Class in 1955 and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Supply and Transport Corps on November 25 1957.

He served with the United Nations (UN) in the Congo and as a UN military observer in Syria in 1972-73 throughout the Yom Kippur War.

As a major general in the mid to late 1990s he returned to Damascus as Force Commander of UNDOF, the UN Disengagement Observer Force, before his appointment as Chief of Staff in August 1998, a position that he occupied until September 2000.

During his last tour of duty in Damascus he liaised between the Israeli and Syrian governments through their military liaison officers, as well as briefing foreign delegations and ambassadors.

He had the right of passage across the border, the only person with such a right guaranteed by both sides.

He held a number of significant appointments throughout his career and was awarded a Distinguished Service Medal (DSM) for his outstanding service.

He was promoted to full colonel in September 1991 and became a brigadier general in 1995. He was moved up another rank to major general to become Quartermaster General.

He completed two tours of duty in The Lebanon and also served in Namibia.

He also made a considerable contribution to the formation and development of the Representative Association of Commissioned Officers (RACO) in its formative years as the association’s first president.

A proud Clonmel man, Lieut. General Stapleton never lost touch with his roots and was a regular visitor to his home town.
He was credited with playing a key role in keeping the former Kickham Barracks open during his tenure as Chief of Staff.

While serving abroad he was said to have had a particular affinity with Clonmel troops who were also serving overseas.

He was a talented Gaelic footballer with Clonmel Commercials in his younger years, lining out with the club’s Minor teams that won the South championship in 1954 and the South and County championships the following year.

He also played Minor and Senior Football for Tipperary and was on the Minor team that defeated Kerry in the 1955 Munster Championship final, after a replay.

The team went on to beat Mayo in the All-Ireland semi-final before losing to Dublin in the All-Ireland final.

He was actively involved in the community in Newbridge and served with local charitable organisations.