‘Poignant day’ as last Irish infantry group to deploy after 48 years with Unifil

It was “incredibly poignant” as an infantry group prepared to deploy to the United Nations Interim Force (Unifil) in Lebanon for the final time on Thursday, according to the Irish Defence Forces boss.

The 69th Infantry Group will be the final Irish infantry group to deploy to Unifil, bringing almost five decades of continuous Irish service in Lebanon to a close.

The Irish army has participated in Unifil since it was established in 1978 following the Israeli invasion of Lebanon.

It was set up to supervise the withdrawal of Israeli forces and restore peace and security to the area, and since that time the Irish Defence Forces has had an infantry battalion, which has seen more than 30,000 Irish troops participate.

A UN Security Council decision last year means that Unifil’s mandate ends on December 31.

Speaking at a review parade for the final group to be deployed, Defence Forces Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Rossa Mulcahy said there are mixed emotions as the troops prepared to be deployed.

“It’s an incredibly poignant day. It is a day mixed with happiness and sadness,” he said.

“It’s been an incredibly rewarding mission for the Defence Forces, but for the Defence Forces this is a very poignant day.

“The 69th Infantry Group is the last group to go out and serve in Lebanon as an infantry battalion, as such, and they will conduct the withdrawal and recovery of one or other equipment.”

He added that Ireland has had a massive impact in Lebanon.

“It’s been huge,” he said.

“It’s been a real ability to contribute to the safety and security of the people in that region for almost five decades.

“We’ve seen the Israelis there in the 80s and 90s, they withdrew. We were there through the times when the Lebanese armed forces came down south, and now we’re there again when those tensions have heightened again.”

In the 48 years Irish troops have been deployed to Lebanon, since May 1978, 48 soldiers have died.

Seán Rooney, 24, from Newtowncunningham in Co Donegal, was killed when a convoy of Irish troops serving with the UN peacekeeping force was ambushed and fired upon on December 14 2022.

Lt General Mulcahy paid tribute to Private Rooney and all the Irish troops killed in Lebanon.

“It’s with great sadness that we remember those who never came home from Lebanon, the 48 men who were lost and gave the ultimate sacrifice in service of peace, but it’s also an incredibly proud day,” he said.

“We remember Sean. It’ll be four years in December when he was killed in Lebanon and his memory and those of all of our persons who lost lives in the month of November – we remember those persons who died, so it is very poignant.”

Minister for Defence Helen McEntee was among those who reviewed the Defence Forces’ 69th Infantry Group at Aiken Barracks in Dundalk, Co Louth, on Thursday.

Speaking at the event, she said the parade marks a significant milestone in Ireland’s peacekeeping history.

“Members of the 69th Infantry Battalion are going to Lebanon in the service of the highest ideal, peace. There are few responsibilities more important or causes more noble than that,” she said.

“For almost 70 years, our Defence Forces have played an indispensable role in United Nations peacekeeping. Your work is something that is praised and remarked upon by ministers and heads of state from across the world.

“There is very much a sense of sadness that this mission is coming to an end. More than any other overseas mission, Unifil has helped shape Ireland’s identity as a peacekeeping nation.”