Irish soldiers who died on peacekeeping missions overseas were yesterday remembered at a special service in Tipperary
. Since the first Irish mission to the Congo in 1960, 84 soldiers and one Garda sergeant have died while serving with the United Nations.
Minister for Defence Willie O'Dea unveiled a granite and limestone monument with each name engraved on it at St Mary's Garden of Remembrance in Thurles.
He said the Defence Forces had never hesitated to move into some of the world's most dangerous conflict zones, and had always served with great professionalism and humanity.
"In the course of their many missions, they have saved the lives of countless numbers of some of the poorest and most vulnerable people on our planet.
"Tragically, in saving those lives too many of our finest young people have lost their own. And this monument commemorates their sacrifice."
Forty-five Irish soldiers were killed while serving in the Lebanon, 26 in the Congo, nine in Cyprus, one in Somalia and two with the UN Truce Supervision Organisation (UNTO). Garda Sgt Paul Reid was shot dead in Sniper's Alley while on a UN mission in Sarajevo in Bosnia, while the last Irish solider to die was 21-year-old Private Peadar Ó Flatharta from Connemara, who was killed in East Timor in 2002 when a colleague's weapon was accidentally discharged during a patrol.
"Each name marks a life cut short - a life cut short in the belief that people everywhere have the right to live their lives in peace and justice, free from fear," said Mr O'Dea.
He added that he hoped the monument would bring some comfort to the families by letting them know that the sacrifices of their sons would not be forgotten.
The memorial was organised by the local Duras Eile Eliogarty Memorial Committee.
Committee chairman John Wort said their aim was to make people more aware of their local and national history. "The UN monument recognises the peacekeepers' high level of professionalism, dedication and courage, and also honours the memory of those who have lost their lives in the cause of peace."
The ceremony was attended by relatives of the dead, the Archbishop of Cashel Dr Dermot Clifford, the Irish UN Veterans' Association and the Irish Lebanese Culture Foundation.
The unveiling of the monument coincided with the UN's International Day of the Peacekeeper on which tributes are paid to all who have served and continue to serve in UN peacekeeping operations. There are three other memorials in St Mary's Gardens to commemorate the Thurles men and women who died in the first World War and the struggle for Irish independence, as well as the nine Irish UN soldiers who died in the Niemba ambush in 1960.