Deaths Overseas

By PRO IUNVA Four Irish citizens died during the month of January while serving with the United Nations, two were members of the DF and two were civilians. We remember the killing of Seán Devereux (28) on 2 Jan 1993 while working for the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) in Somalia.  He was…

By PRO IUNVA This article covers the death of Cpl John Geoghegan B Coy 36 Inf Bn on 28 Dec 1961, he was the last member of the unit to die in 1961. On 24 Dec 1961 at approximately 1600 ours Cpl John Geoghegan (41) and a Pte were on guard duty at Post No…

By PRO IUNVA This article recalls the death of the thirteenth Irish casualty during the United Nations Operation in the Congo (ONUC). Cpl Liam Kelly (22) was from Ballydonnell, Thomastown, Co Kilkenny.  He joined the DF at the Curragh Training Camp in Jul 1958 and on completion of recruit training he passed out as the…

By Pro IUNVA    Cpl Thomas N Reynolds (35) was a member of the Tpt Pl, HQ Coy, 44 Inf Bn and was injured in road traffic accident on Saturday 23 Dec 1978 when the Land Rover he was travelling in went off the road near Tibnine while travelling to Haddatha.  He died from his injuries…

By PRO IUNVA On 25 Nov 1980, Pte John Marshall (20), 48 Inf Bn was admitted to SwedMedCoy in Naqoura suffering from tonsillitis.  Complications set in and he was transferred to Ram Bam Hospital in Haifa but he died there around midday on 17 Dec 1980. He was from Glin Ave, Coolock, Dublin and he…

By PRO IUNVA This article recalls the death thirty years ago of Cpl Martin Tynan at an early age from natural causes in Dec 1992. Cpl Martin Tynan (30) lived at Cowpasture, Monasterevin, Co Kildare with his wife Evelyn and their children Martin, Leona and Daryl.  His home unit was Dep MP Corps at the…

By PRO IUNVA In this article we remember the four peacekeepers from A Coy, 36 Inf Bn who were killed during combat operations in Elisabethville in the Congo during Dec 1961.  The main body of 36 Inf Bn arrived in the Congo between 5 and 24 Dec 1961 in twenty chalks transported by USAF in…

By PRO IUNVA This article recalls the killing of Pte William O’Brien thirty six years ago while he was serving with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon. On Saturday 6 Dec 1986, Pte William O’Brien (25) C Coy, 60 Inf Bn was struck in the head by a ricochet round fired from a HMG…

By PRO IUNVA The death of Ireland’s only casualty in the high risk and dangerous peace support operation in Liberia is covered in this article. Sgt Derek (Derec) Mooney (33) was born in Dublin on 21 Mar 1970 and he joined the DF in 1987.  On 19 Nov 2003 he deployed as a member of…

In this article we remember Comdt Michael Pacellis O’Hanlon (39) who died in Nov 1989 while on his second UN tour of duty in Lebanon. Comdt Michael (Mick) O’Hanlon was born in Cork on 6 Jul 1950, he joined the DF as a Cadet with 47 Cdt Class in Apr 1972 and he was commissioned…