56 Bn, also known as the Midland Battalion,[1] was created by the amalgamation on 1 October 2005 of the old 16th Battalion, 17 Bn and parts of 19 Bn of the Irish Army's second-line reserve, the Fórsa Cosanta Áitiúil (FCA), into a reorganised Army Reserve.
56 Bn was abolished in a further 2012 reorganisation of the Defence Forces.