Irish troops going to Middle East for peacekeeping duties face 'volatile' situation

Soldiers firing a Javelin missile system during a deployment mission readiness exercise for the 123rd Infantry Battalion at Coolmooney Camp in Glen of Imaal, Co Wicklow, earlier this month, ahead of their deployment to Lebanon.

For Irish troops heading to the UN peacekeeping line between Israel and Lebanon, these are uncertain times.

But there are no more experienced peacekeepers in the world, with Irish troops repeatedly lauded by the UN since they first set foot in the Congo in the early 1960s.

However, 48 soldiers have lost their lives in pursuit of peace on the same Unifil (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon) mission that the 123rd Infantry Battalion will deploy to this month.

One of them was Private Sean Rooney, killed last December, and he was remembered by Tánaiste and Defence Minister Micheal Martin when he addressed the 343 personnel who will head to South Lebanon.

Mr Martin inspected the troops on the grounds of Kilkenny Castle and told them he was very concerned about what was going on in that Middle East region right now.

He also acknowledged that their families would also be worried while the troops are away. But he pointed out that these soldiers are well trained and well equipped and they will look after each other.

One person who knows how very volatile it can be in South Lebanon is BQMS (Brigade Quarter Master Sergeant) Nick Scott. This will be the highly experienced soldier’s 15th overseas tour. He’s served on 11 missions to Lebanon as well as in Kosovo, Bosnia and Chad.

The married father-of-three who lives in Glanmire, Cork, undertook his first tour of Lebanon in 1991.

“It was very volatile in the 1990s and indeed up to 2000 when the Israelis pulled out of Lebanon,” the 51-year-old said.

He said soldiers could stay safe by “following the rules and learning from the older generation” and that “expecting the unexpected is part and parcel of military life”. 

He will be one of the first to leave, as the troops will be deployed there in three tranches. He will fly out on November 6 with a small vanguard and two further groups will follow on the 14th and 24th.

Among them will be Gary Cantwell, 30, from the village of Rathgormack in County Waterford.

The rifleman, who is a qualified EMT (Emergency Medical Technician), was in Lebanon in 2016.

“I’m looking forward to it. I know it will probably be a bit more challenging this time as it was very quiet in 2016,” he said.

The brigade will be led by Lieutenant Colonel Stephen Mac Eoin, who joined the Defence Forces in 1999.

The senior officer has served as a peacekeeper in both command and staff appointments in Kosovo, Chad, Lebanon and the Congo and served for one year as an exchange instructor at the French St Cyr Military Academy, where he completed the gruelling French commando course.

His contingent includes nine Maltese troops. The biggest number of troops under his command, 60, come from the Dublin region with a further 35 from Cork, 33 from Kilkenny and smaller numbers from other counties.

Following the parade on the grounds of Kilkenny Castle, the troops marched about a mile through the city centre back to their base at James Stephens Barracks where the army put on a reception for their families.