Ireland will not unilaterally pull its troops out of the UN peacekeeping force in the Golan Heights, Defence Minister Simon Coveney has said.

An 83-year-old army veteran celebrated his wedding day in his old uniform to make his new bride’s wishes come true.

The Defence Forces Chief of Staff is hoping to replace the Air Corps’s ageing fleet of Cessnas and purchase a third new ship for the Naval Service within the next five years.

Some army officers with young children may be forced to seek Family Income Supplement because they can’t afford to travel to new postings due to the disbanding of a brigade.

The first batch of soldiers from the 43rd Infantry Group of the Irish Defence Forces departs for Syria today.

Defence Minister Alan Shatter has ruled out the possibility of Irish peacekeepers being targeted in a chemical attack during their mission to the Golan Heights.

Irish troops being deployed to Syria have been given special training in the event of a chemical attack.

The United Nations has assured the Government that the safety of Irish peacekeepers is paramount on their upcoming mission to the Golan Heights.

Troops have funded and erected a memorial to Irish revolutionary leader Michael Collins at the barracks he set off from on the day he was ambushed.

The new Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces is Major General Conor O’Boyle.