Although beaming with pride, there was a chastened atmosphere amongst family and friends of soldiers of the 126th Infantry Battalion, on parade in Renmore Barracks last Friday, before deploying to Lebanon next week.
As the 298 Defence Forces personnel stood to attention awaiting the arrival of Minister for Defence, Táiniste Simon Harris, to review the mostly Galway-based troops before their imminent departure, conversation amongst onlookers hinged on news of a diplomatic spat between Tehran and Beirut concerning disarmament of Iran-backed Lebanese militant group, Hezbollah.
The 126 Battalion, including 78 infantry from Galway’s An Chéad Chathlán Coisithe, will arrive in southern Lebanon to relieve the 125 Battalion, serving with UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon ) alongside Maltese, Polish and Hungarian personnel, during a particularly turbulent period in the 47-year-long peacekeeping mission.
Under Lieutenant Colonel Edward McDonagh, the troops’ training since February has focused on the possibility of a hostile reception from civilians in the area, because of a disinformation campaign opposing UN troops currently troubling senior Irish officers.
Frequent ceasefire violations by armed groups, such as Hezbollah, since Israel invaded Lebanon last autumn, including shelling and an incursion by IDF battle tanks into a UN post, leaves no doubt that soldiers from Galway will serve in a volatile area of operations until at least November.
One third of the 126 Battalion will be on their first overseas mission. In an address to them, chief of staff, Lieutenant General Seán Clancy, said “force protection measures” were in place, and reminded them to rely on their training in difficult situations.
Harris’ speech, no doubt aimed at families as well as soldiers, recognised the “significant instability” in the region, but that the Government’s priority is that “the safety and security of Irish troops is paramount”. He relayed a message of gratitude from the Lebanese people, and praised military families as “unspoken heroes of Ireland’s peacekeeping tradition”.
In a spontaneous breach of military formalities, applause amongst onlookers rang out across the overcast parade ground in Mellows Barracks for Fr Paul Murphy, who blessed the battalion’s colours.
Fr Murphy, an army chaplain, suffered knife wounds when he was attacked by a teenage boy radicalised by online disinformation at the entrance to the barracks last summer. The now 17-year-old was sentenced to serve eight years for attempted murder this week.
To applause, Harris commended Fr Murphy’s “compassion, humility and Christianity” in offering forgiveness to his attacker as part of a victim impact statement. Murphy will also be deploying to Lebanon in May.
Irish soldiers have served as UN military observers in Lebanon since 1958, and peacekeepers since 1978. More than 30,000 have served in the east Mediterranean country, including 47 who never returned.
