By Pro IUNVA This article recalls the death of Francis Eivers in Sep 1961, he was a former Garda Sgt and was the first Irishman to die while serving in a UN civilian appointment. On 13 Sep 1961, the UN Secretary General, Dag Hammarskjöld made his fourth visit to the Congo since the start of…

By PRO IUNVA In Aug 1998, Pte Michael Dowling (31) was serving with B Coy, 83 Inf Bn UNIFIL, and he contracted an infectious illness. Initially it was suspected that he had diphtheria and he was treated with a wide range of antibiotics and other medicines. It appeared that his treatment was successful and he…

By PRO IUNVA In this article we remember the killing of two members of Armd Car Gp, 35 Inf Bn in Elisabethville in Sep 1961.  At approximately 2045 hours on 14 Sep 1961, a four-vehicle patrol departed from the Bn HQ Camp at Prince Leopold Farm.  The patrol commander was Comdt Patrick Cahalane, Gp Comd…

By PRO IUNVA This article recalls the death on 13 Sep 1961 of Tpr Edward (Eddie) Gaffney (22), C Coy, 35 Inf Bn ONUC in Elisabethville, capital of the breakaway province of Katanga in the Republic of the Congo. This was the first day of a weeklong offensive operation in Katanga Province – Operation Morthor….

by PRO IUNVA On Sunday 5 Sep 1999 Tpr Jonathan Campbell (29), Battalion Mobile Reserve (BMR), 85 Inf Bn waskilled in a motorcycle accident in Beirut while he was staying overnight before travelling on to Cypruson leave on the following day. He was from Corneddan, Ballinalee, Co Longford, his parent unit was 4Cav Sqn, Connolly…

By PRO IUNVA On 2 Sep 2005, Comdt Michael Paul O’Donnell (Retd) (he was known as Paul) died from natural causes while serving in a civilian appointment with Mission de l’Organisation des Nations Unies en République démocratique du Congo (MONUC) [the United Nations Organisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo]. He had served in…

By PRO IUNVA This article recalls the death Cpl Luke Malachy Kelly (39) in a road traffic accident near Leopoldville, capital of the Congo, on 30 Aug 1961 while he was serving at the headquarters of the United Nations Operation in the Congo (Opération des Nations Unies au Congo) [ONUC]. Cpl Kelly along with Pte…

by PRO IUNVA In this article we remember Cpl George Bolger who died in a Haifa hospital on 29 Aug1987. On Saturday, 29 Aug 1987, Cpl George William (Billy) Bolger (34), B Coy, 61 Inf Bn UNIFIL, died at Ram Bam Hospital in Haifa, Israel around 0230 hours from a suspected heart attack. He had…