Private Seán Rooney remembered as Micheál Martin visits Lebanon

Tánaiste and Minister for Defence Micheál Martin has paid tribute to Private Seán Rooney on a visit to Lebanon.

Mr Martin laid a wreath at a monument in Tebnine. The monument is dedicated to Irish peacekeepers who have lost their lives while on duty and now bears the name of Private Rooney.

Members of the 121st Infantry Battalion of United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), with whom Private Rooney was serving, met with Mr Martin.

The Tánaiste said: “Today we remember someone who made the ultimate sacrifice in the quest for peace.

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“Today we remember Pte Sean Rooney, and all those members of the Irish Defence Forces who lost their lives in the month of January.”

Jean-Pierre Lacroix, the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, met with Mr Martin and said: “Renewed my condolences for the loss of Private Sean Rooney. Suaimhneas Síoraí Air. I also wish the injured a speedy recovery, especially Trooper Shane Kearney who suffered serious injuries. Accountability for this act must be ensured.

A 24-year-old peacekeeper, Private Rooney was shot dead when the vehicle he was driving came under attack in the Al-Aqbieh area of south Lebanon on December 14.

Private Rooney was a native of Dundalk and had lived in Newtown for the last decade. A former student at St Eunan's College in Letterkenny, Private Rooney served with the 27th Infantry Battalion in Dundalk.