Brave Irish peacekeeper Sean Rooney’s best friend has paid an emotional tribute to “the most kind-hearted caring person in the world”.
Christopher O’Neill said he and Sean were like brothers and that on hearing he’d been gunned down in the Lebanon: “I could feel my heart break.”
An Irish Air Corps Casa aircraft was last night on standby in Malta for the repatriation of Private Rooney’s body, the Defence Forces confirmed.
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The 23-year-old from Dundalk in Co Louth was murdered on Wednesday after his vehicle was ambushed by a violent mob.
Brave Sean was shot and killed as he desperately tried to drive his comrades to safety after an armed gang attacked their vehicle.
His colleague Trooper Shane Kearney, 22, from Cork, who suffered a fractured skull in the attack, remains critical in hospital.
Two other Irish soldiers who were part of the convoy and received minor injuries were discharged from hospital yesterday afternoon.
Heartbroken Christopher said he and Sean’s family just wanted to get him home to say their final farewells.
He said: “I just want him home as soon as possible. Christmas too, it’s devastating for us all.
“I can’t even put it into words.”
He told Newstalk FM how he and Sean grew up together and their bond went further than just that of best friends.
He said: “I would say more brothers, we did everything together, learnt how to talk and grew up together over the years, making memories that will last a lifetime.
“He [Sean] was funny, witty. He was one of the best people. He’s the most kind-hearted, caring person in the world.
“He loved his friends, he loved his family and he took pride in it.”
On Friday, Sean’s heartbroken fiancee Holly McConnallogue revealed how they were planning to get married in August of next year.
She said the pair had been due to FaceTime but had to reschedule as Sean said he had to drop a friend to the airport because he had a bereavement.
She revealed how Sean died on what was the third anniversary of their first meeting.
Christopher revealed that Sean had called him from Paris for a pep talk the night before he proposed to Holly over the summer.
He said: “I couldn’t believe it. We were best friends, we told each other everything and I was like, ‘Unreal – fair play to you’ – because he really loved her.”
He told how Sean was due home on leave for Christmas and the pair were discussing his plans for the festive break just hours before his death.
He said: “We told each other we couldn’t wait to see each other and then [I] got the phone call on the early hours of Thursday morning and found out.
“Probably a feeling that I’ll never forget – the shock, just the instant... I didn’t believe it, you know?
“I thought I was in a nightmare – still do. Shocking, shocking news.
“I could feel my heart break, I lost a brother. It feels like something left me that day. I can’t even put into words the feeling that I felt and am still currently feeling.”
Christopher said Sean took “great pride” in being a soldier, following in the footsteps of his father and uncles who also served in the Defence Forces.
He added: “He loved everything about it.
“He’ll be missed by everybody. By me, his friends, his family and the wider community, and even the country.”
Last night the Defence Forces confirmed the two soldiers who received minor injuries in the attack were out of hospital and back with their battalion. In a statement it said: “[They] have now been released from hospital and are back safely in UNP 2-45 (Irish Camp Shamrock).
“The Defence Forces can also confirm that an Air Corps CASA aircraft has been pre-positioned in Malta as a contingency to provide support to the 121 Infantry Battalion if required.”
The Defence Forces confirmed that the aircraft flew to Malta early yesterday as a contingency measure.
Army bosses are preparing to fly Shane Kearney back home for emergency treatment, as his partner Joanne Padden asked people to “please keep Shane in your prayers”. It comes as eight Defence Forces personnel flew to Lebanon yesterday to support members of Private Rooney’s battalion.
They are also there to assist with the UNIFIL investigation into the incident that happened in the village of Al-Aqbiya, just outside of UNIFIL’s area of operations.
The UN peacekeeping force, which acts as a buffer near the southern border between Lebanon and Israel, urged the Lebanese government to ensure a “speedy” investigation into the fatal shooting.
Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati and army chief Joseph Aoun visited the UNIFIL headquarters in the border town of Naqura, denouncing the attack that claimed Private Sean Rooney’s life.
Force spokesman Andrea Tenenti called it “a very serious incident” and told reporters it was “important” for the Lebanese authorities to bring the perpetrators to justice.
It is the first death of a UNIFIL member in a violent incident in Lebanon since January 2015, when a Spanish peacekeeper was killed by Israeli fire.
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