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06 Sept 2025
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06 Sept 2025
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Private Rooney, a native of Dundalk who lived in Newtowncunningham, was killed on active service with the UN when his convoy came under attack in Lebanon last week.
Private Seán Rooney who was killed on active service in Lebanon last week is to be buried with full military honours in Donegal on Thursday.
A native of Dundalk who lived in Newtowncunningham, he was killed on active service with the UN when his convoy came under attack in Lebanon last Wednesday.
His body arrived at Casement Aerodrome, Baldonnel, on the outskirts of Dublin on Monday morning ahead of being reunited with his family, including his mother Natasha and his fiancée Holly McConnellogue.
The funeral Mass for Pte Rooney will take place in Dundalk on Thursday at the Holy Family Church in the town at 9am.
The remains will then be taken to All Saints Church in Newtowncunningham for burial with full military honours.
The 23-year-old’s remains left Beirut airport on an Air Corps plane on Sunday afternoon after a solemn UN ceremony was held to honour the soldier ahead of his journey home. Private Rooney was accompanied on the flight by a number of his colleagues from the 121st Infantry Battalion.
Books of condolence have been opened in County House, Lifford and the Letterkenny and Carndonagh public services centres.
Private Rooney died during an incident in Al-Aqbieh village, which is around 30 miles south of Beirut and outside Unifil’s area of operations.
He was travelling as part of a convoy of two armoured utility vehicles. The vehicle he was in came under fire and was surrounded with Private Rooney, who joined the Defence Forces in 2019, suffering a fatal gunshot wound to the head.
His colleague, Private Shane Kearney, from Killeagh, Co Cork, was seriously injured in the incident and remains in a serious condition in hospital. Two other peacekeepers were treated for minor injuries.
The soldiers were part of 121st Infantry Battalion, comprising 333 Irish troops, which was deployed in November to south Lebanon as part of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (Unifil).
Three investigations are underway, one led by the UN, another by the Defence Forces and a third by the Lebanese government.
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