ARCO regrets to inform its members of the death of Lieutenant Colonel Pearse McCorley of Moore Avenue, Newbridge, County Kildare. On 13th February 2022 (peacefully) at The Hermitage Clinic, Dublin, surrounded by his loving family. Sadly missed by his five children, nine grandchildren, sister, extended family, relatives and friends.
May Pearse Rest In Peace – Carpe Diem
Vincent Pearse McCorley was born in Dublin on 8th January 1944. The McCorley family made a substantial contribution to the foundation of the State and to the Defence Forces. His late father, Colonel Felix McCorley, and his uncle, Roger McCorley, joined the Volunteers and fought in the War of Independence with the Belfast Brigade, 3 Northern Division. Both joined the National Army. Felix was Officer Commanding Eastern Command and later Western Command during the Emergency. He was Director of Training in the post-Emergency period. Pearse’s brother was Colonel Roger McCorley DSM who was a member of 21 Cadet Class. His son is Lieutenant Colonel Rory McCorley, a member of 64 Cadet Class.
Pearse joined the Defence Forces on 12th December 1961 as a member of 36 Cadet Class and was commissioned on 15th July 1963. He served initially as a Troop Commander with 4 Motor Squadron, then later as an instructor in the Cavalry School, and with 1 Armoured Car Squadron as Second-in-Command. He commanded 1 Armoured Car Squadron, Cavalry Workshops, and Depot Cavalry.
Outside the Cavalry Corps Pearse served on the operations staff at HQ Curragh Training Camp, in Planning and Research Section at Defence Forces Headquarters, in the General Training Depot, HQ 6 Brigade, HQ 4 Brigade and HQ Curragh Command FCA.
Pearse completed two tours of duty with the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) with the Armoured Car Groups of 3 Infantry Group in 1964 and 11 Infantry Group in 1968-69. He served three tours of duty with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), first as Military Information Officer 49 Infantry Battalion in 1980-81, as Company Commander Reconnaissance Company 55 Infantry Battalion in 1984, and at Force HQ in Lebanon for one year in 1988-89. Pearse spent fourteen months in Central America with the United Nations Observer Group in Central America (ONUCA) in 1991-92. In 1994-95 he served with the European Community Monitoring Mission in the Former Yugoslavia (ECMMY). In 1995 Pearse returned to the Balkans with the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina. He retired in January 2002.
Reposing at Anderson and Leahy’s Funeral Home on Tuesday from 3.30pm to 5.30pm with removal at 6pm arriving to St. Brigid’s Church, The Curragh for 6.30pm. Funeral mass on Wednesday morning at 11am, followed by private family cremation. Pearse’s Funeral Mass will be live streamed on The Curragh Church Facebook Page. To keep everyone safe please adhere to all HSE guidelines, social distancing and mask wearing protocols.
Members may wish to leave personal messages in the ‘Condolences’ section of Pearse’s death notice on rip.ie – https://rip.ie/death-notice/pearse-mccorley-newbridge-kildare/486306
