Soldiers head for Lebanon under 'no illusions' about dangers after death of Pte Seán Rooney
Lt Dean Slattery with Theo and Mari O'Shea as the 122nd Infantry Battalion Unifil leaves for Lebanon. Picture: Brendan Gleeson
Soldiers from the 122nd Infantry Battalion who leave for Lebanon this Monday have said they have "no illusions" about how dangerous the deployment is after the death of their colleague Private Seán Rooney last December.
Speaking ahead of the troops' departure for Lebanon, Tánaiste and Defence Minister Micheál Martin was unable to say when the investigation into Pte Rooney's death would conclude.
Pressed on the issue yesterday at Sarsfield Barracks, Limerick, he repeated his vow that “no stone will be left unturned” to find Pte Rooney's killers.
“I think that illustrates the sacrifice and the bravery of all those who serve our country in the noble pursuit of peace, and particularly in conflict zones to bring peace to communities who are impacted by war and by potential violence," said Mr Martin.
Speaking before he addressed members of the 122nd Infantry Battalion, he said of the investigation into Pte Rooney’s death: “It is very much still ongoing and the process is continuing, but it has made progress and has undertaken a lot of work. But obviously, we cannot interfere in [the process].
“We will leave no stone unturned to find his killers and bring them to justice.”
Unifil’s internal "administrative" investigation has concluded and its report submitted to the UN HQ in New York.
A redacted version of it has been handed over to gardaí.
Pte Rooney and his colleagues, who were all serving with Unifil, were just minutes from the main highway into Beirut when their vehicle was fired on in the village of Al-Aqibiya.
Meanwhile, Lieutenant Clare Murphy, 28, is due to leave for Lebanon on Monday and will be the 2nd Cavalry Troop commander.
This is her first trip, and she is looking forward to it. Her grandfather was a gunner in the Curragh, Co Kildare, and her brother Tomas works in Defence Forces HQ.
In the army since 2019, she said: “I’ve always wanted to join. I saw granddad was in it and I always had an interest in it, as well as being the youngest [with] two brothers then as well.
“I was playing with them, playing the gun games of the backyard at the farm and then Tomas joined the army and then I waddled in after him.”
While she admits to having a few nerves, she said: “It's still nice to know we're putting everything into practice that we've trained for and we've done an awful lot of putting new drills in place as a result of lessons learned.”
Asked if those are lessons learned after Pte Rooney’s death, she said: “Yeah, post Seán Rooney, but also then obviously, just from previous trips.”
Brothers Lieutenant Dean and Private Ross Slattery, from Co Kildare, who are also going to Lebanon, said Pte Rooney’s death has focussed minds.
Ahead of his third deployment abroad, Dean, 32, said: “It does focus your mind a little bit more.
"Obviously losing Private Rooney in such tragic circumstances brings it home in terms of how dangerous it can be.
“But I suppose we are under no illusion; it's one of the most dangerous parts of the world.”
Limerick-born Commandant and HQ Staff Officer for Defence Forces training Liam Halpin, 37, said: “Training is always a focus in our pre-deployment.
“We look at everything that might be tested on an operation overseas.
“We look at anything from our mine awareness to our anti-ambush drills and will always focus on them.”
Asked about the impact of Pte Rooney’s death on training, he said his death “refocuses the mind even more”.
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