'They are wonderful ambassadors for our country': Taoiseach reflects on visit to Irish soldiers in Lebanon

Taoiseach Micheál Martin during his visit to Camp Shamrock in Lebanon on Saturday. Picture: Irish Defence Forces

The minute’s silence in Peacekeepers’ Square in Camp Shamrock on Saturday afternoon seemed all the more profound as it was accompanied by a low burble from the square’s fountain and a distant hum, probably signifying a snooping Israeli drone.

The national flag flew at half-mast in the sunlight, and the Taoiseach, Micheál Martin, stood stock still, while around the square soldiers and civilians remembered the Irish citizens who have died serving as United Nations peacekeepers over the past seven decades.