Author: Arthur

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…

By PRO IUNVA In this article we remember Cpl Michael McCarthy (33) who was shot dead by the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) controlled militia, the so-called South Lebanon Army (SLA) on Friday 15 Nov 1991. Cpl McCarthy B Coy, 70 Inf Bn arrived in Lebanon on 23 Oct 1991 on his third tour of UN…

By PRO IUNVA In this article we remember the day 62 years ago when the DF suffered the highest death toll at a crossing point on the Luweyeye River in the Congo. On Tuesday, 8 Nov 1960, an eleven-man patrol from 2 Pl, A Coy, 33 Inf  Bn was attacked by a large number of…

 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…