NEWLY-promoted Lt. Col. Sharon Crean has been appointed as the first female Officer Commanding of the Army Equitation School, succeeding Lt. Col. Tom Freyne in the role. A former member of the Kildare Hunt Pony Club, Crean competed internationally as a pony event rider prior to joining the Defence Forces in 2000. She was initially commissioned as a Riding Officer, and was also the first female officer to serve in the role as Second in Command of the School, to Freyne, in 2016. Crean has served on two peacekeeping missions overseas, in Kosovo and Western Sahara, as well as graduating from King’s Inns with a Barrister at Law degree in 2011.

Speaking after her appointment, Lt. Col. Crean said: “I’m very honoured to have been appointed as Officer Commanding of the Equitation School. Having joined the Defence Forces as a Cadet in 2000, I have served in riding, administrative and training appointments in the Equitation School over the past 25 years, in addition to military roles at home and overseas. I’m really looking forward to leading the School in its centenary year.

“We have a great team of highly motivated and talented people in the School right now and I feel privileged to represent them. I have total faith in the capacity of our team to carry on the legacy of the School, which has been created by its members over the last 100 years.

“I wish to thank the General Staff of the Defence Forces for their continued support of the Equitation School, and a special thanks for the support and guidance I have received from Officer Commanding Lt. Col. Tom Freyne, with whom I have worked closely over the last 16 years. On a personal level, I’d like to express my gratitude to my family for their enduring support, to my husband John and to my parents Geraldine and Peter for everything they have done for me.”

Stay tuned for an in-depth interview with Lt. Col. Crean in a coming edition.