Fr Jerry (Jeremiah) Carroll was ordained in 1989. His early service was in the parishes of Evander and Pomeroy in the Diocese of Dundee in South Africa. He spent 17 years working in South Africa before returning to Ireland. In 2005 he joined the Defence Forces and became Chaplain to the Air Corps in Casement Aerodrome, Baldonnel. He served overseas with the first Irish Finnish Battalion, 35th Infantry Group in Lebanon in 2006. He has also served with the 97th Infantry Battalion in Chad and the 45th Infantry Group in Lebanon. At the time of his interview he was preparing for his next trip to Lebanon with the 109th Infantry Battalion. Fr Carroll was interviewed for the Military Archives Oral History Project on 20th September 2016.

In this clip, Father Jerry Carroll describes vividly his recollections of a serious incident in Chad in 2008. There, Irish troops on patrol near the eastern Chadian town of Goz Beida came under fire, while troops in a Djabal refugee camp were also confronted by the Janjaweed, a militia that operate in western Sudan and eastern Chad. Father Jerry recalls moving from position to position offering support to the Irish soldiers who were ready to defend the refugee camp and forcefully conveys the emotion and tension of the incident.

In this clip, Father Jerry Carroll speaks about the time he spent working as a missionary in South Africa and reflects on the impact of Europeans in that continent as well as how the experience affected him as a person.

In this clip, Father Jerry Carroll discusses his role as Air Corps Chaplain and outlines some of the memories and emotions associated with this work including funerals, weddings etc. He recalls that 'the saddest funeral' he ever officiated was after the deaths of Captain Derek Furniss and Cadet David Jevens on 12 October 2009, when a training flight PC9 265 crashed on the Galway-Mayo border. Captain Furniss was from Rathfarnham in Dublin and Cadet Jevens was a native of Davidstown, Glynn in Co Wexford.

In this clip, Father Jerry Carroll speaks passionately about the role of Irish peacekeepers which he describes as 'the greatest missionary force to ever leave the shores of Ireland'.

Here, Father Jerry Carroll refers to his interest in the history of the Air Corps and broader Defence Forces. He discusses the humanitarian and Irish republican patriot Roger Casement (who Baldonnel is named after) and outlines his admiration for the humanitarian and patriot. He also speaks about meeting the Mackey and Casement families during a major commemoration to Roger Casement.

In this clip, Father Jerry Carroll discusses Bishop Michael Paschal Roland (Franciscan), who encouraged Jerry to move to Dundee in South Africa in the province of Natal. He speaks about training for the priesthood and his decision to move to South Africa, initially for six months. He explains that as a result of his involvement in teaching South African children who were then being racially discriminated against under apartheid, he was eventually given ten days notice to get out of South Africa. This was in 1985. He discusses apartheid in South Africa and recalls how the Roman Catholic church was described as 'Roomse gevaar' (The Roman Danger). Jerry also states that he and his fellow priests were breaking the law by teaching black children by night. He refers to informers who he claimed were 'quite numerous'. Recalls being told he had ten days to leave the country under the Aliens Law of 1932 (This may refer to the Aliens Act of 1939). Jerry also refers to his difficulty with the South African authorities. He also draws attention to the fact that at the time the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) were being equipped by the South African regime. Jerry implies that given his age and connection with Monaghan, the inference that he may have been a republican or supporter of the IRA, made it even more challenging in such an environment.

In this clip, Father Jerry Carroll speaks about a novel called 'Cutting for Stone' and uses the narrative to explain the value of 'treatment administered by the ear' in the case of an emergency, which are 'words of comfort'.

Here, Father Jerry Carroll reflects on his life and offers a brief summary of his philosophy on life.