Wreath laid for peace mission troops

There will always be a need for members of the Defence Forces to serve abroad on peacekeeping missions, the President, Mrs McAleese, has said.

Speaking at the unveiling of a memorial to 79 Irish peacekeepers who lost their lives while on service overseas, Mrs McAleese paid tribute to the "exemplary" standing of the Defence Forces on United Nations missions.

In a brief and simple ceremony at Arbour Hill in Dublin, the President laid a wreath on the memorial to the dead peacekeepers, the victims of six different conflicts over the past 40 years.

Yesterday was the 38th anniversary of the massacre at Niemba in the Congo, the single worst incident in the Army's peacekeeping history, in which nine Irish soldiers lost their lives. This year also marks 40 years of Irish involvement in United Nations peacekeeping missions, and 20 years of service in the Lebanon.

The ceremony was attended by army veterans and relatives of the dead men, including Mrs Catherine Grant, the widow of Cpl Felix Grant, the first Irish soldier to die on duty overseas. Cpl Grant was killed in the Congo on October 3rd, 1960.

The chief of staff of the Defence Forces, Lieut Gen David Stapleton, and the Garda Commissioner, Mr Pat Byrne, were present.

The President said that while on her first official trip abroad she had been struck by the work done by the Irish battalion of the peacekeeping forces in South Lebanon.

"The generosity of spirit and good will shown by members of `Irishbatt' has had a very positive impact on relations with the Lebanese communities and is a reflection, I think, of that same sense of community for which Ireland is renowned."

While Ireland "lived in hope" that peace on the island would be lasting, there were many areas of conflict in the world where the services of UN personnel were still required.

"There will always be a need for the services of the dedicated, committed, professional members of the Irish Defence Forces and peacekeepers of their quality for many years to come."

The memorial records the names of 77 Irish soldiers who died while on peacekeeping duties for the UN: 27 in the Congo, 39 in Lebanon, two in the Middle East and nine in Cyprus.

The memorial is located in a small peace park on Mount Temple Road at the back of Arbour Hill, on land donated by Dublin Corporation. The funds for the memorial were raised by the Irish UN Veterans' Association.

The Minister for Defence, Mr Smith, presented relatives of the 36 men who died "in hostile circumstances" while on military service overseas with An Realt Mileata (the military star). This was the first occasion in the history of the State that such medals were awarded.