An Cosantóir is the official magazine

Magazine

Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...

 of the Irish Defence Forces

Irish Defence Forces

The armed forces of Ireland, known as the Defence Forces encompass the Army, Naval Service, Air Corps and Reserve Defence Force.The current Supreme Commander of the Irish Defence forces is His Excellency Michael D Higgins in his role as President of Ireland...

. It was originally established in December 1940 by Colonel Michael Joe Costello

Michael Joe Costello

Michael Joseph Costello was an Irish military leader.-Biography:Costello was born on 4 July 1904 in Cloughjordan, County Tipperary. His godfather was Thomas MacDonagh, who signed the Proclamation of the Irish Republic in 1916...

 as a means of disseminating training material among the Local Security Force (LSF) but later became the newspaper of Costello's First Division.

In its current form, An Cosantóir is a 32-page full colour A4 size publication, issued 10 times per year. The magazine carries information on all elements of the Irish Defence Forces. Topics cover all aspects of military life, including training, overseas operations, new equipment, personalities, events, international military affairs, humanitarian work, unit activities, and military history.

Current monthly circulation stands at 25,000. The editor-in-chief is Wayne Fitzgerald.

Back issues of An Cosantoir dating back to 1940 are available online.