THE British military has experienced a significant rise in Irish recruits since the start of the recession.

There has been an eight-fold increase in people from the Republic joining the British armed forces this year compared to 2007, figures obtained by Fine Gael TD Brian Hayes have revealed.

Hayes obtained the figures by requesting that Lord Dubs, his colleague on the British-Irish Parliamentary Body, table a question on the matter in the British House of Lords. They showed that 10 people with south of Ireland addresses joined the British military in 2007-2008 and this rose dramatically to 85 in 2009-2010.

As there is a recruitment embargo throughout the public service, including the Irish Defence Forces, there are now more Irish people joining the UK military than our own army.

Hayes said: "In every economic downturn in the history of this country we have seen a rise in the number of Irish people joining the British army. This information is really not that different from the other recessions that we have had over the decades.

"The embargo on recruitment to the Defence Forces here will make it become more of an option for those who want to join an army. And as there is a historical connection between Ireland and serving in the British military, people look to the British army at a time like this."

In 2005-2006, 35 Irish recruits joined the British armed forces, and this increased to 40 recruits in 2007-2008. There were 10 recruits in 2007-2008, 50 in 2008-2909 and 85 in 2009-2010.

While the statistics give an indication of the number of Irish people joining the British army they are not comprehensive. A spokesman for the British army told the Sunday Tribune: "The British armed forces does not have a recruitment presence in the Republic of Ireland. All of the candidates and eventual recruits apply through recruitment offices in the UK.

"With regard to employment trends we are not prepared to release definitive statistics; suffice to say a career in HM Armed Forces continues to be an attractive option for both men and women from the Republic of Ireland."

In addition to the economic downturn and the fact that there are fewer employment opportunities in Ireland, the prospect of going on overseas missions also attracts Irish people into the British army.