The body of an Irish soldier who was killed on a United Nations peacekeeping mission in Lebanon arrived back to the Republic of Ireland this morning.
The family of soldier Private Seán Rooney, 24, was reunited with his remains in Casement Aerodrome in Baldonnel, Dublin, after travelling from Beirut International Airport overnight on an Irish Air Corps Casa aircraft.
As member of the Defence Forces, Pte Rooney, from Newtown Cunningham, County Donegal, was killed on active service when his convoy came under attack while he was travelling down a coastal village in southern Lebanon on Wednesday last week.
The 23-year-old was shot when the armoured vehicle he was in came under attack and turned over after being separated from a convoy which was driving troops to Beirut Airport.
Meanwhile, his colleague, Pte Shane Kearney, 23, from Killeagh in County Cork, was seriously injured in the incident and currently remains in serious condition in hospital.
Two other peacekeepers were also treated for minor injuries.
The 24-year-old’s remains left Beirut Airport on Sunday afternoon after a solemn UN ceremony was held at the Middle Eastern airport to honour the soldier in advance of his journey home.
He was accompanied on the flight by a number of his colleagues from 121 Infantry Battalion - comprising 333 Irish troops - including his company Commander.
At 8.30am on December 19, after landing on the outskirts of Dublin, a short prayer service was held for his body at the aerodrome, as it was taken down the aircraft and returned to his family.
The white coffin, which was dressed in the National Flag, was carried by a number of pall bearers.
They then marched into position and turned inwards to receive the coffin and slow marched into Hangar No. 5, where his devastated family were given some private time with his remains.
After this, the coffin was then driven away in a hearse, which was accompanied by a Garda escort.
His mother Natasha, his fiancee Holly McConnellogue, his mother’s partner, his three uncles and his grandfather Eugene were among those present as his coffin was carried from the aircraft, according to RTÉ, external .
Tánaiste Leo Varadkar and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Defence Micheál Martin also attended on Monday morning.
A post-mortem examination will be carried out and Pte Rooney's funeral is expected to take place later this week.
Arrangements for the burial are, however, yet to be finalised.
Pte Rooney's heartbroken fiancee Holly issued a touching message following his death, describing him as “ the most wonderful” person.
The pair were meant to marry in August 2023, and in response to a video of the plane taking off from Beirut, Holly said: "See you soon Seán”.
She described him "the most wonderful, selfless person, who died doing what he loved," telling the Irish Times: "We met three years ago yesterday, three years to the day he died.
Holly added: "I’m absolutely heartbroken and it hasn’t sunk in yet that he’s gone, but I at least know that he died doing what he loved and serving his country."
Meanwhile, speaking at an Irish Red Cross event for Ukrainian families in Dublin, Mr Varadkar described the Irish UN peacekeeping mission’s work in Lebanon as “immensely valuable”.
He said arrangements were being made for an appropriate service, while adding that it was important to understand the circumstances of the attack, saying: “I don’t want to go into details of that now until it’s confirmed, but obviously, he’ll be offered military honours which I think is appropriate given the circumstances.”
Mr Varadkar went on to explain: “I would have confidence in those investigations to find out exactly what happened, why an Irish soldier lost his life and another was severely injured.
“It’s important that we do that. It’s also important that we avoid any speculation, I think at this point until those investigations are done.
“But the main thing I think this week really is to stand with and express our condolences to Pte Rooney’s family, his friends and colleagues because it’s been a long time since we lost a soldier in combat in Lebanon. But it does remind us how important that mission is.”
