Irish Naval Service

The Naval Service (Irish: An tSeirbhís Chabhlaigh) is the maritime component of the Defence Forces of Ireland and is one of the three branches of the Irish Defence Forces. Its base is in Haulbowline, County Cork.

Though preceded by earlier maritime defence organisations, the Naval Service was formed in 1946. Since the 1970s a major role of the Naval Service has been the provision of fisheries protection in Ireland's exclusive economic zone (EEZ). Other roles include sea patrol, surveillance, and smuggling prevention. Occasionally the service undertakes longer missions in support of other elements of the Defence Forces, Irish peacekeepers serving with the United Nations, or humanitarian and trade missions.

The Naval Service has an active establishment of 1,094 and a reserve establishment of 200. Like other components of the Defence Forces, the Naval Service has struggled to maintain strength and as of late 2024 had only 719 active personnel, and 77 reserve personnel.

Naval Service ships are designated with the ship prefix of Long Éireannach (Irish Ship), which is abbreviated to LÉ. Naval Service ships are traditionally named with (mainly female) names taken from Celtic mythology and Irish folklore. However in 2014, the government controversially broke from tradition and decided to name the new P60 class ships after famous Irish writers. In 2024, the traditional naming conventions was restored with the naming of the P70 class patrol vessels.