Tánaiste to highlight case of Private Sean Rooney in Lebanon
The Tánaiste and Minister for Defence Simon Harris will travel to Lebanon to visit Irish peacekeepers deployed to the Unifil mission. Picture: michaelorourkephotography.ie
The Tánaiste and Minister for Defence Simon Harris will raise his "frustration" at the lack of progress in the case of Private Sean Rooney when he visits Lebanon on Monday.
Mr Harris will travel to Lebanon to visit Irish peacekeepers deployed to the Unifil mission.
There are currently 339 Defence Forces personnel serving with the 125th Infantry Battalion, based at Camp Shamrock, in the south of the country.
Mr Harris is expected to thank the Defence Forces personnel for their "commitment to maintaining peace in the region" and is expected to announce increased funding for local community projects.
It is understood that Mr Harris will also use the visit to highlight the case of Donegal Private Sean Rooney, who was killed in Southern Lebanon in December 2022.
The 24-year-old from Newtowncunningham, Co Donegal, was killed when a convoy of Irish troops serving with a UN peacekeeping force was ambushed and fired upon.
Pte Rooney and his colleagues were just four minutes from the main highway into Beirut when their vehicle was fired upon in the southern Lebanon village of Al-Aqibiya.
During a series of political meetings, the Tánaiste is expected to raise the “frustration and concern” of the Irish Government at the lack of progress in the case and will stress the need to deliver “accountability and justice" for the Rooney family.
The next hearing of the trial is scheduled to take place in Beirut in September.
One of the suspects arrested over the killing was released on bail last year due to a medical condition, while other suspects remain at large.
Reports have been prepared by the Defence Forces, the UN, and An Garda Síochána in relation to the killing and senior counsel Michael Delaney has been tasked with consolidating these into a single report covering work-related issues around the incident.
Separately, the Tánaiste will bring a memo to Cabinet seeking approval for the appointment of 35 army cadets with a commissioning ceremony to mark the appointment of the new officers to take place in the Curragh on Friday.
