Month: October 2022

 By PRO IUNVA  This article recalls the death of Lt Col Jack Griffin in a road traffic accident in Oct 2015. Lt Col John Charles (Jack) Griffin (47) was born Jan 1968 and he joined the DF as a member of 63 Cadet Class in Oct 1986.  He was commissioned in May 1988 and he…

By PRO IUNVA In this article we remember one of the nine members of the DF who died while serving with the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) Lt Ronald B Byrne (43) joined the DF in 1945 and he was one of twenty students who were commissioned from 1 Potential Officers Course in…

By PRO IUNVA In this article, we mark the 40th anniversary of one of the most horrific events in the history of DF peace support operations.  This occurred during the handover of 51 Inf Bn to 52 Inf Bn in Oct 1982.  This article is about the three victims, it is NOT about the murderer,…

by Pro Iunva In this article we remember the death of the second member of the DF who died while on service with the UN, he was the first Senior Irish Officer in the service of the UN and was a pathfinder for the generations who followed.  Col Justin MacCarthy (46) was born in 1914…

By PRO IUNVA Cpl Vincent Michael Duffy (37) was killed in an accident when the Landrover he was travelling in left the road and overturned on the road between As Sultaniyah and Tibnine on Saturday 18 Oct 1980.  He was serving with 47 Inf Bn and he was on his second tour of duty with…

By PRO IUNVA In May 1984, Cpl George Murray (21) deployed overseas to Lebanon as a member of the MP Sec, HQ Coy, 55 Inf Bn UNIFIL.  On Tuesday 9 October, he was on a routine convoy from Tibnine to UNIFIL HQ, Naqoura and the convoy arrived at the FHQ around 0900 hours.  A short…

ByPRO IUNVA Coy Sgt James Ryan (47) was diagnosed with a terminal illness while on his fifth tour of peacekeeping  duty as a senior NCO and he died in hospital from natural causes fifty six years ago in Oct 1966. He was from Clanbrassil Terrace in Dublin and his parent unit was 5 Inf Bn.  …

ByPRO IUNVA On 3 Oct 1993, Airman Stephen O’Connor(32), was on duty at Tibnine when he was killed as a result of an accidental weapon discharge from his Steyr AUG 5.56mm rifle.  He was on his second tour of duty with UNIFIL having served with 68 Inf Bn from Nov 1990 to Apr 1991.  He…