THE DEATH has taken place of retired Army officer and former Irish Timesmilitary analyst, Col ED Doyle. Col Doyle (90), from Clondalkin, Dublin, died on Monday after a short illness.
Col Doyle was born in Dublin in 1919 and enlisted in the Defence Forces in September 1943. He served alongside former Irish Timeseditor Douglas Gageby and the pair were lifelong friends.
He married Betty in September 1947 and they had six children. The family had celebrated his 90th birthday on May 15th.
Col Doyle was a signals or communications officer in the Defence Forces, he worked as an intelligence officer and spent a period in the Observer Corps. He spent a number of years overseas.
He served in the Congo (1960- 1961) and in Cyprus (1967-1968). He spent two years from 1975 with the UN Truce Supervision Organisation, which operated in Lebanon, the Golan Heights and Sinai.
After his retirement in 1984, he wrote for The Irish Timeson military tactics and weaponry, international peacekeeping and global conflicts.
His last pieces appeared in 2004, by which time he was in his mid-eighties.
He is perhaps best remembered for his analysis and comment pieces from the beginning of the 1990 Gulf War.
Mr Doyle, whose wife predeceased him, is survived by his children Ciarán, Patricia, Etain, Brendan, Geraldine and Martin, and his brother Seán.
