Kevin McDonald

Commandant Kevin McDonald served 7 years with Fórsa Cosanta Áitiúil (FCA) and 33 years with the Permanent Defence Forces. He discusses his military career, focusing on his extensive service overseas. Most of his interview relates to his service in Lebanon and he speaks about the 2006 Lebanon War when he was serving with Observer Group Lebanon (OGL). He speaks about the deaths of some of his United Nations Military Observer colleagues at an OGL patrol base at El Khiam during that war.

Viv Collins

Sergeant Viv Collins enlisted the Defence Forces in 1972. He was serving as a Fitter Sergeant in Base Workshops in Clancy Barracks when he retired from the Defence Forces in 1995. He was interviewed for Military Archives Oral History Project in the Air Corps Museum in Baldonnel on 10 November 2017.

Michael Walsh

Michael Walsh, Commandant (retired), served with the Reserve, Fórsa Cosanta Áitiúil (FCA), before joining the Cadet School in the Military College in 1976. During his military career he served in the Artillery Corps and with the Military Police Corps. In 1994 he was seconded to GOAL and worked as a logistics officer in a refugee camp in Goma during the Rwandan genocide. He went to the Lebanon with the 57th Infantry Battalion in 1995 and worked in Sarajevo, Bosnia in 2009. At the time of his retirement from the Defence Forces in 2012 he was serving as Aide de Camp (ADC) to President Michael D. Higgins. Comdt Walsh was interviewed for the Military Archives Oral History Project on 7th February 2017.

Seamus McDermott

Séamus McDermott, Corporal (retired), enlisted in the Defence Forces in 1957 and trained in the Army Apprentice School in Devoy Barracks, Naas where he qualified as a carpenter and joiner. After his apprenticeship he served with 4th Field Company, Corps of Engineers in Custume Barracks, Athlone. He volunteered for service overseas and in June 1961 he went to the Congo with the 35th Infantry Battalion. He took part in Operations Rampunch and Morthor and was part of Force Kane, the attempted relief of Irish prisoners at Jadotville. Cpl McDermott served in the Defence Forces until September 1962 and after his military service he worked as a woodwork teacher and guidance counsellor. He was interviewed for the Military Archives Oral History Project on 13th October 2016.

Jerry Carroll

Fr Jerry (Jeremiah) Carroll was ordained in 1989. His early service was in the parishes of Evander and Pomeroy in the Diocese of Dundee in South Africa. He spent 17 years working in South Africa before returning to Ireland. In 2005 he joined the Defence Forces and became Chaplain to the Air Corps in Casement Aerodrome, Baldonnel. He served overseas with the first Irish Finnish Battalion, 35th Infantry Group in Lebanon in 2006. He has also served with the 97th Infantry Battalion in Chad and the 45th Infantry Group in Lebanon. At the time of his interview he was preparing for his next trip to Lebanon with the 109th Infantry Battalion. Fr Carroll was interviewed for the Military Archives Oral History Project on 20th September 2016.

Ali Saad

Ali Saad was interviewed in More House, UN Post 2-45, UNIFIL South Lebanon for the Military Archives Oral History Project. Ali Saad's interview is part of a series of interviews recorded to mark forty years of Irish service in Lebanon with UNIFIL. Ali has worked closely with the Defence Forces in Tibnin village since 1978, he is branch manager of Byblos Bank in Bint Jubayl. He is co-ordinator of the Lebanese Red Cross in South Lebanon and a founder member of Tibnin Orphanage.

Nada Dbouk

Nada Dbouk was interviewed in UN Post 2-45, UNIFIL, South Lebanon for the Military Archives Oral History Project. Her interview is part of a series of interviews recorded to mark forty years of Irish service in Lebanon with UNIFIL. Nada has worked with the Irish contingent in UNIFIL for the last 6 years, firstly in Tibnin and currently at UN Post 2-45. She discusses her work and her memories of the 2006 Lebanon War.

Abass Awala

Abass Awala was interviewed in UN Post 2-45, UNIFIL, South Lebanon for the Military Archives Oral History Project. His interview is part of a series of interviews recorded to mark forty years of Irish service in the country with UNIFIL. Abass has worked with UNIFIL since 1986 and at the time of this interview was working as Assistant to the UNIFIL Force Commander, Major General Michael Beary. Abass speaks about his childhood moving between Beirut and South Lebanon during the Civil War. He discusses his work with UNIFIL and with UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) and he speaks about the future of UNIFIL.

Michael Beary

Major General Michael Beary was interviewed for the Military Archives Oral History Project at UNIFIL Headquarters, Naqoura, South Lebanon. He speaks about his family's tradition of military service and his decision to join the Defence Forces. He discusses his cadet training and his extensive service overseas. At the time of this interview Major General Beary was serving as UNIFIL Force Commander stationed in Naqoura. He speaks about the 10,500 strong force and his role as Force Commander.

Thomas Aherne

Colonel Thomas Aherne joined the Cadet School in the Defence Forces in November 1975. He was interviewed for Military Archives Oral History Project in the Air Corps Museum in Baldonnel on 9 October 2018. Tom speaks about his military career, discussing his interest in sport, his service with 1st Battalion in Galway and his service overseas with the 46th Infantry Battalion, UNIFIL in 1979 and 1980. He discusses the Battle of At Tiri which took place in April 1980 while he was serving as a Platoon Commander.

Imad Lallous

Imad Lallous was interviewed in UN Post 2-45, UNIFIL, South Lebanon for the Military Archives Oral History Project. His interview is part of a series of interviews recorded to mark forty years of Irish service in Lebanon with UNIFIL. Imad is currently serving as Mayor of the village of Ain Ibil in South Lebanon. He worked with UNIFIL and other United Nations missions from 1979 to 2013 and he discusses his previous work with the United Nations and his work as Mayor in this interview.

Bassima Fawaz

Bassima Fawaz was interviewed in UN Post 2-45, UNIFIL, South Lebanon for the Military Archives Oral History Project. Bassima Fawaz's interview is part of a series of interviews recorded to mark forty years of Irish service in Lebanon with UNIFIL. Bassima grew up with Irish soldiers living in her parents’ house in Tibnin and she began working as an interpreter with UNIFIL around 1985. She has worked mostly with Irish battalions but has also worked with various other nationalities who have served in or near Tibnin.

Gerry McMahon

Gerry (Gerald) McMahon DSM, Lieutenant General (retired), a native of Limerick, entered the Cadet School in the Curragh in 1953. He served in the Defence Forces for forty-five years, retiring in August 1998 as Chief of Staff. He served overseas with the 37th Infantry Battalion in the Congo, 21st Infantry Group in Cyprus, 44th Infantry Battalion in the Lebanon. He spent two years as an Observer with UNTSO (United Nations Truce Supervision Organisation) in the Middle East and also served in the UN Headquarters in New York. He oversaw a period of major reorganisation in the Defence Forces. Lt Gen McMahon was interviewed for the Military Archives Oral History Project in December 2016 and February 2017.

Tony Roe

Tony (Anthony) Roe, Commandant (retired), joined the Defence Forces in 1958, training as an Air Corps apprentice in Casement Aerodrome, Baldonnel. Comdt Roe was serving in Baldonnel when films such as the ‘Blue Max’ and ‘Zepplin’ were being filmed there. He was commissioned as an officer after undergoing a Potential Officers Course and served overseas with the 45th and 55th Infantry Battalions in the Lebanon. He was serving as Chief Technical Stores Officer for the Transport Corps in Clancy Barracks, Dublin, at the time of his retirement in 1986. Comdt Roe was interviewed for the Military Archives Oral History Project on 8th September 2016 and on 3rd February 2017.

Joe Mallon

Joe (Joseph) Mallon, Company Sergeant (retired), enlisted in the Defence Forces on his birthday in 1958. His father served during the Emergency and advised him to join the Army. His brother also served in the Defence Forces. He worked as an instructor training recruits and non-commissioned officers for much of his career and was serving as a Company Sergeant in the Cadet School in the Military College at the time of his retirement from the Defence Forces in 1989. He went overseas with the 32nd Infantry Battalion, which was the first Irish Battalion to serve in the Congo in 1960. He also served with the 38th Battalion in the Congo, the 11th Infantry Group in Cyprus and the 51st Infantry Battalion in the Lebanon. He was interviewed for the Military Archives Oral History Project on 15th February 2017.

Peter Feely

Peter Feely DSM, Colonel (retired), joined the Defence Forces in 1958 and was commissioned in January 1960. In December the following year, as a young infantry officer, he went to the Congo with the 36th Infantry Battalion. He was one of three Platoon Commanders at the Battle of the Tunnel in Elizabethville, Congo in December 1961 where two Irish soldiers, including one of the Platoon Commanders, were killed in action. Col Feely was one of fourteen men from ‘A’ Company, 36th Infantry Battalion who received a Distinguished Service Medal. Col Feely was interviewed for the Military Archives Oral History Project on 24th June 2016.

Fawaz Fawaz

Fawaz Fawaz was interviewed in More House, UN Post 2-45, UNIFIL, South Lebanon for the Military Archives Oral History Project. His interview is part of a series of interviews recorded to mark forty years of Irish service in Lebanon with UNIFIL. Fawaz is a former translator with UNIFIL, retired in 2011, and he is now working with the Chief Humanitarian Committee in Tibnin. Fawaz speaks about his personal experience working with Irish battalions and other contingents in UNIFIL. He also speaks about Tibnin and he has written a book on the area.

Hassan Fawaz

Hassan Fawaz was interviewed in the Military Police Interview Room, UN Post 2-45, UNIFIL, South Lebanon on 7th March 2018 for the Military Archives Oral History Project. His interview is part of a series of interviews recorded in Lebanon in March 2018 to mark forty years of Irish service in the country with UNIFIL. Hassan Fawaz worked as an interpreter with Irish Battalions in Lebanon from 1981 to 2001, he continued working as an interpreter with UNIFIL until 2013.

Art Magennis

Commandant Art Magennis was born in Ardglass, County Down in September 1919. In June 1940, he and his friend Desmond travelled from Down to Dublin to join the Irish army, after hearing Eamon de Valera on the radio. Commandant Magennis went on to serve in the Defence Forces for 39 years until he retired in September 1979.

Imelda Conway Duffy

Imelda Conway-Duffy is a freelance writer, artist and documentary film-maker. She began working in the film industry in 1979 for the film director, John Boorman and she has made documentaries on subjects such as Irish military service in the Congo. She recalls the ‘practically daily’ public coverage of the first Irish Battalion to serve overseas in the Congo in 1960. She also discusses the Childers family in Wicklow and the ‘Battle of Glendalough’ which took place during the Civil War. Imelda Conway-Duffy was interviewed for the Military Archives Oral History Project on 24th August 2016.

Geraldine Browne

Geraldine Browne, Captain, enlisted in the Defence Forces in 1990, training with the second female recruit platoon. Her grandmother, Kate Ward (nee Donnelly), served in Cumann na mBan during the War of Independence. She has served in the Ministerial Air Transport Service and Air Traffic Control and has served overseas with the 73rd Infantry Battalion in Lebanon. She is the first female Regimental Sergeant Major in the Defence Forces and is the senior ranking female non-commissioned officer in the Defence Forces. RSM Browne is currently serving as the senior Air Traffic Control instructor in Casement Aerodrome, Baldonnel. She was interviewed for the Oral History Project on 28th September 2016.

Tony Kearns

Tony (Anthony Paul, A.P.) Kearns is a civilian historian to the Irish Air Corps and has spent over fifty years researching and writing about the organisation. He researches the history of the Air Corps and military aviation in Ireland with a special emphasis on Ireland during the Emergency period. He discusses the bombing of Campile and the bombing of the North Strand during the Emergency. He also discusses various personalities that have served in the Air Corps as well as some of the former Luftwaffe pilots and crews that he got to know through the course of his research. A series of interviews were conducted with Tony Kearns in 2016 and 2017 for the Military Archives Oral History Project.

Ralph James

Ralph (Raphael) James, Major General (retired), joined the Defence Forces as a Cadet with the 50th Army Cadet Class and the 8th Regular Air Corps Class in 1973. During his Air Corps career he flew many aircraft types in various mission profiles including maritime patrolling and Ministerial air transport. Maj Gen James was serving as Deputy Chief of Staff, Operations, at the time of his retirement from the Defence Forces in 2015; he was the first Air Corps officer to be appointed by the Government to the Defence Forces General Staff. His career has continued as the Director of Regulatory Affairs and Director of Safety Regulations with the Irish Aviation Authority. Maj Gen James was interviewed for the Military Archives Oral History Project in February 2017.

Noel Tuohy

Noel Tuohy enlisted in 1977 and served 31 years in the Defence Forces. He was interviewed for the Military Archives Oral History Project in the Air Corps Museum in Baldonnel on 18 October 2017. Noel speaks about his military service and discusses in detail his first trip overseas with 43rd Infantry Battalion which served with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon from May to October 1978.

Marwa Dakik

Marwa Dakik was interviewed in More House, UN Post 2-45, UNIFIL, South Lebanon for the Military Archives Oral History Project. Her interview is part of a series of interviews recorded to mark forty years of Irish service in Lebanon with UNIFIL. Marwa Dakik has worked as a Language Assistant with UNIFIL since 2011 and is based in the Irish Camp. Marwa discusses her recollections of various conflicts in Lebanon and speaks about her work with UNIFIL.

Paul Cushnan

Paul Cushnan, Barrack Quartermaster Sergeant (retired) is a native of Westmeath. His father served with the British Army during the Boer War and World War I, he also served briefly in the National Army. BQ Cushnan enlisted in the Defence Forces in March 1947 at Athlone. He was sent to the Curragh Camp for recruit training and then served with the 5th Battalion in Dublin. He transferred to Custume Barracks, Athlone in 1951 and spent most of his career with the 6th Infantry Battalion. He volunteered for service overseas and went to the Congo with the 33rd Battalion in 1960 and to Cyprus with the 12th Infantry. He also trained with ‘B’ Company, the ‘Ranger Company’ which was a precursor to the Army Ranger Wing. BQ Cushnan was interviewed for the Military Archives Oral History Project on 11th July 2017.

Jouni Jaaskelainen

Captain Jouni Jaaskelainen was interviewed in More House, UN Post 2-45, UNIFIL, South Lebanon for the Military Archives Oral History Project. His interview is part of a series of interviews recorded to mark forty years of Irish service in Lebanon with UNIFIL. Capt Jaaskelainen is an officer in the Finnish Army and he is serving as an EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) and Force Protection Officer with the Irish Finnish Battalion in UNIFIL at UN Post 2-45.

James Perkins

James Perkins enlisted in the Defence Forces in 1974 and served firstly with the Military Police and then with the Air Corps until his retirement in 2014. He was interviewed for the Military Archives Oral History Project in the Air Corps Museum, Baldonnel on 30 August 2016. Since his retirement he has volunteered at the Air Corps Museum, Baldonnel and with the Military Archives, Cathal Brugha Barracks, Rathmines. In these clips he shares some recollections of his overseas service in Lebanon.

Sean Norton

Seán Norton DSM, Colonel (retired), joined the Defence Forces in January 1955 at the age of nineteen. He went on to the Cadet School and was commissioned in 1959. In December 1961 he went to the Congo with 36th Infantry Battalion. He was one of three Platoon Commanders at the Battle of the Tunnel in Elizabethville, Congo. Two Irish soldiers, including one of the Platoon Commanders were killed in action. Col Norton was awarded a Distinguished Service Medal for his role in the battle; one of fourteen men from ‘A’, 36th Infantry Battalion to received a DSM. Col Norton was interviewed for the Military Archives Oral History Project in May 2017.

Paul Fry

Paul Fry, Brigadier General (retired), joined the Defence Forces in 1974 and was commissioned as an officer in the Air Corps in 1976. A tradition of military service in his family has been traced back to the early 19th century. He has flown the full range of Air Corps operations, including search and rescue, air ambulance, ministerial air transport service and maritime patrol. Brig Gen Fry served as General Officer Commanding the Air Corps and Director of Military Aviation from January 2011 to his retirement in June 2017. Brig Gen Fry was interviewed for the Military Archives Oral History Project in March 2017.

Final Reflections

Hiyam Haidar (Rosie)

Hiyam Haidar was interviewed in UN Post 2-45, UNIFIL, South Lebanon on 9th March 2018 for the Military Archives Oral History Project. Her interview is part of a series of interviews recorded to mark forty years of Irish service in Lebanon with UNIFIL. Hiyam worked as a local shopkeeper in the Irish Battalion area of operations, South Lebanon for twenty-three years. She speaks about her work with Irish soldiers, particularly "C" Company based at Brashit. She speaks about her family background and about meeting Irish dignitaries when they would visit the Irish battalions.

Aivo Vahemets

Captain Aivo Vahemets was interviewed in More House, UN Post 2-45, UNIFIL, South Lebanon for the Military Archives Oral History Project. His interview is part of a series of interviews recorded to mark forty years of Irish service in Lebanon with UNIFIL. Captain Vahemets speaks about his military career, conscription and military service in Estonia and his service overseas in Afghanistan and Lebanon.

Jeremiah O'Connor

Ibrahim Haidar (Brian)

Ibrahim Haidar was interviewed in UN Post 2-45, UNIFIL, South Lebanon for the Military Archives Oral History Project. His interview is part of a series of interviews recorded to mark forty years of Irish service in Lebanon with UNIFIL. Ibrahim Haidar is a civilian employed locally by the Irish Finnish Battalion. He speaks about his experiences working with Irish troops.

Jeremiah O’Connor

Jeremiah O’Connor, Brigadier General (deceased), was born in 1920 in Sneem, county Kerry. He joined the Air Corps in April 1940 where he trained as a pilot on aircraft such as the Miles Magister and Avro Cadet. During the Emergency he served with Fighter Squadron based in Rineanna, Shannon. He became the first General Officer Commanding the Air Corps and was Director of Military Aviation from 1974 until his retirement in 1980. He was interviewed in 2008 by then Airman Michael J. Whelan before the Military Archives Oral History Project was formally established. Brig Gen O’Connor passed away in April 2016.

Tony Alkhoyry

Tony Alkhoyry was interviewed in UN Post 2-45, UNIFIL, South Lebanon for the Military Archives Oral History Project. His interview is part of a series of interviews recorded to mark forty years of Irish service in Lebanon with UNIFIL. Tony is a civilian from Tibnin village who works in the camp mainly with the Engineers; he discusses this work in his interview.