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The face of Athlone has certainly changed in the past 72 years, but one thing that has remained steadfast is the sense of community spirit in Assumption Road as the street prepares to celebrate its 72nd anniversary and the unveiling of a Siege of Jadotville Memorial to mark this occasion.

Commandant Leo Quinlan will deliver a public lecture in the Moore Institute at NUI Galway on the experience of his father, Commandant Pat Quinlan, in the historic Battle of Jadotville, 1961. The lecture will take place on Tuesday, 9 April, at 5pm.

A unique event is to take place in Castlebar on February 23 next when a presentation is made on the Battle of Jadotville from the “Pen of Commandant Pat Quinlan” (Officer Commanding the Irish Troops at Jadotville in the Congo in 1961), as told by his son, Commandant Leo Quinlan.

Veterans of the 1961 Siege of Jadotville were awarded medals for their bravery at a ceremony in Custume Barracks on Saturday, December 2. The ceremony followed years of campaigning by veterans for recognition.

On Saturday October 21, Mayor of Athlone, Aengus O’Rourke, will be unveiling a plaque at 3.30 pm in John Count McCormack Square to commemorate the veterans of the siege of Jadotville.

When a teacher stands in front of their class, they know that they are like an arms dealer, passing on the most powerful weapon in the world — the weapons of knowledge and education. Education is what remains in your mind long after you have left behind your schooldays. Its role is to replace an empty mind with an open one. It is that process that continues throughout life in the race to become a better person. And when you see a class of young students enforcing change, it is most refreshing in this age of cynicism.

A ceremony took place in Custume Barracks last Saturday (September 17) to honour the actions of the men of ‘A’ Company, 35th Infantry Battalion and its attachments at the Battle of Jadotville.

Longford-Westmeath Independent Deputy, Kevin ‘Boxer’ Moran, has met Taoiseach Enda Kenny concerning the honouring of soldiers who fought in the Siege of Jadotville, the majority of whom were from Custume Barracks in Athlone.

THE CONGO 1961. Some 150 Irish soldiers were surrounded by more than 3,000 soldiers of the Katanga insurgency, heavily armed with artillery, heavy machine guns, and a fighter bomber.