'Never be forgotten': Private Seán Rooney remembered, one month on
Months mind Masses were held in Newtowncuningham, Dundalk and Lebanon to remember Private Seán Rooney
Fallen soldier Private Seán Rooney was remembered at special month's mind masses in Newtowncunningham, Dundalk and Lebanon at the weekend.
On Saturday, one month on from Private Rooney's tragic death on December 14, family, friends and colleagues gathered to remember the 24-year-old.
Private Rooney was serving with the 121st Infantry Battalion of United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) when he was shot dead when the vehicle he was driving came under attack in the Al-Aqbieh area of south Lebanon.
Members of the 121st Battalion gathered at Camp Shamrock to honour their fallen comrade.,
“To accommodate the huge crowd, the largest building in the camp, the dining complex was converted,” the Battalion said.
“There was no shortage of volunteers to help honour Seán, from setting up the dining complex to taking part in the Mass.
“All done with pride and dignity for one of our own. He will never be forgotten.”
Fr Kemmy told how Private Rooney had left a 'ripple effect'.
“Sean’s life, far too short, has a ripple effect way beyond the years that we might have expected for him,” he said.
“That ripple effect of his life, so well lived and so lived full of love, that will go on in your lives and even into other generations.
“We can’t get inside your heart and live that grief for you, it’s all your own but you don’t have to bear it on your own.”
Another month's mind Mass was held in Dundalk on Sunday.
Private Rooney was a native of Dundalk and had lived in Newtown for the last decade. A former student at St Eunan's College in Letterkenny, Private Rooney served with the 27th Infantry Battalion in Dundalk.