"Like your mother's garden" - The ease at which deadly bombs can be planted in the most mundane looking places, like your mother's garden, is scary.

A blue-coloured device identical to those small pencils you'll find at the local bookies is used to detonate a melon in front of us as part of a controlled experiment. We're given earplugs and protective headphones to use as noise-cancellers. It all seems quite excessive, but then the explosion occurs and the precaution is wholly justified. The noise of that controlled explosion, echoing throughout the spacious field, is startling - not as much as the 250 gram plastic bomb which, upon explosion, actually made me jump back as I tried to take a picture. A small explosion, but a very loud bang When we're told that the same, harmless enough looking device would shred all the tendons and muscles in your hand if you were anywhere near it when it went off, you realise just what it takes to be a part of the Defence Force's Bomb Squad in Ireland. This is the nation's last line of defence, who work alongside the Gardaí to protect citizens from security threats, like the Cork branch did with the recent Apple breach in Cork.  These are highly-skilled, trained and polished individuals, the level to which only becomes clear when you meet them. They have technical degrees in the likes of mechanical engineering and physics (I spoke to some trainees, if this career should interest you), but most of their highly dangerous duties are done without the knowledge of the general public. Why? Because almost all of their work is preventative ahead of any incident occurring. An Irish Darth Vadar. This is the gear that is essential to wear when dealing with dangerous chemicals This military unit is as much about tactics as it is about technical ability. You won't be surprised to know then that everything we were told was under the veil of anonymity, with the request that most of our information shared be as vague as possible. It was easy to forget that this was the first media briefing given by the bomb squad in 15 years, but when the scale of the operation was unveiled then it was simple to understand why everything was so secretive. Instructor Paul sets up the bombs. Heart in mouth as he shouted out the orders to detonate As powerful as their weapons are, the intel is equally as sensitive. In the wrong hands and with the right knowledge, this can be lethal because weapons of varying degrees of destruction can be designed and implemented by undergoing basic to average training. The army, understandably, has to be very careful about what they say, particularly in the public domain. There were still some very interesting nuggets to share about Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD), Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) and, crucially, C (Counter)-IEDs. The army explained how the IRA have demonstrated worrying ingenuity in their bomb-making skills (we learned that their creative team, for lack of a better term, while not necessarily college trained, are extremely skilled in engineering and physics) and details of how the 9/11 terrorists attacks were conducted perfectly from an a-symmetrical point-of-view, by using the jets as an IED. Essentially, global security drastically shifted post-9/11, with C-IED operations then officially coming into place to directly combat international threats. It looks like the main risk here is that it takes just a few individual experts to conjure total destruction, the rest can be taught and brought up to speed with little prior knowledge. The IRA's terrorist activity is testament to this. We were heavily advised to wear these during the demonstrations. Ringing in the ears for days, otherwise. These very much helped The biggest problem with IEDs is that they can look like pretty much anything, so they are hard to identify. They also come in various forms. Many are timed devices but victim-operated and command-order are common too, with sometimes a combination used. As an example, a command-order IED will require a person to physically press the button to set off the bomb. But if a suicide bomber has a last minute change of heart and decides not to go through with it, there will often be a handler who will then take control and detonate the device - there was definitely a lump in the throat at that moment in the tutorial. Demonstrative makeshift missile fired The equipment used by the team is just as imposing as you can probably imagine. Take for instance those huge bomb disposal suits that you might have seen in The Hurt Locker (incidentally, when asked, I was told that The Hurt Locker is a very accurate portrayal of bomb disposal life); they weigh 31.5 kgs and take two men to put on. Image from The Hurt Locker via YouTube/Trailers We were allowed to take picture's here because his identity was hidden Throughout the presentation the emphasis on confidentiality had an air of mystique, making the event all the more alluring. The Defence Forces have seen their numbers halve in the last 30 years (there are just over 9,000 involved now) due to government cutbacks, but if quantity has been sacrificed, then quality has been prolonged and is constantly developing, in all areas (they have an impressive amount of followers on social media, including YouTube). GSA (Ground Safety Awareness) showed that bombs can be concealed more or less anywhere. Scary stuff The most interesting aspect of the day? Probably the GSA, or Ground Sign Awareness. Apparently it's great for team building and it crucially detects fatal devices that are extremely well hidden. We were asked to find all of the threats and after plenty of searching we could only find a handful. There turned out to be 20 in a very small area of grass. "Like your mother's front garden." Indeed. To find out more about Defence Force Ireland, click here.