EILEEN CURTIS once bought her husband a tank for Christmas. A 63-tonne Chieftain main battle tank to be precise. "It was very hard to wrap," she recalled yesterday. "So I just stuck a Christmas tree on top of it."
Seán Curtis now has two Chieftain tanks, with one parked in his back garden and the other in the front driveway of their home in the Curragh.
The Curtis couple were in their element yesterday at the two-day Salute! military vehicle and re-enactment show, organised by the Irish Military Vehicles Group at the National Show Centre in Swords, Co Dublin.
There were more than 60 battle tanks, jeeps and armoured vehicles on display, all owned by military enthusiasts who were more than willing to talk about their hobby. And it's not a cheap hobby, with collectors giving up to €60,000 for some tanks. Eileen Curtis brought her two jeeps along, one from the first Gulf War and a sportier 1956 Hotchkiss. She enjoys leaving boy racers open-mouthed at the traffic lights as she cruises by in her 3½ litre jeep.
"What I would really love is a Dodge second World War ambulance if anyone out there wants to give me one," she said hopefully.
Rumbling tanks were of no interest to the group of Vikings who were sitting at their camp, polishing their swords.
At first glance Éimear Ging from the Fingal Living History Group appeared to be knitting, but she was in fact nalbinding, which involves a single bone needle. Their camp was next to the authentic-looking Romans where Corkman Joseph Saleh was dressed as a soldier from the period 25 BC to AD 125.
Military exhibitions often attract the ire of anti-war activists and yesterday one stall, Militaria Lines, was selling Nazi and Third Reich memorabilia including a sign for Adolf Hitler Strasse. The stallholder said he would not talk to reporters because of unfavourable media coverage in the past.
Event co-ordinator John McDonald acknowledged opposition to such displays. "People have said there shouldn't be displays with Nazi symbols and that it's wrong to glamorise the military.
"They are entitled to their view, but we believe this is about history and its relevance. It's very much an educational event for all the family," he said. "We have UN vehicles here and that's all about peacekeeping."
The show attracted about 2,000 visitors in its first year last year and Mr McDonald said he expected numbers to be significantly higher this year.
"We want to grow Salute! into an international festival with visitors from the UK and Europe."
