Leb missing

[mac dara]

As a Galway man and more importantly a Gaeltacht man i'm curious as to the tragic case of Caomhan Seoige who went missing during his tour of the Lebanon. does any one know or heard anything relating to this event?

[Steamy Window]

I think I remember seeing something before saying that he had been taken to Beruit and died during an Israeli air raid in 1982.

[Goldie fish]

The end of the Operation in Lebanon left many open wounds and unanswered questions, the "dissappearance" of SS Seoige is one of them. The whereabouts of many of the DFF/SLA leaders who were responsible for the Deaths of irish soldiers is another.

[John]

Originally posted by Goldie fish
The end of the Operation in Lebanon left many open wounds and unanswered questions, the "dissappearance" of SS Seoige is one of them. The whereabouts of many of the DFF/SLA leaders who were responsible for the Deaths of irish soldiers is another.

Detroit, Michigan is the answer to one of those questions.

[mac dara]

thanks for the info. a body to bury brings a certain amount of closure. not knowing is the worst

[Mick O'Toole]

Let's hope so.

[hptmurphy]

Does anybody reckon that Kevin Joyce could still be alive ...would it be another Brian Keenan case...or has he merely disappeared.Does my memory serve me correctly if I were to suggest that the gardai did an investigationn into his disappearance given that he was an Irish citizen.

[Muzzle]

There were rumours that he ended up joining one of the factions and fighting for them before being killed in a bombing raid but it sounds pretty far fetched.

I think the story with the most weight was that he was held captive for a couple of months before being executed and buried in the middle of no where.

[Joshua]

http://www.rte.ie/news/2001/1112/lebanon.html

The Chief of Staff General Colm Mangan said that he was intensely proud of what the Irish achieved in sad and happy times there. The 45 soldiers who lost their lives had not died in vain, and the army would never give up its efforts to find the body of Private Kevin Joyce who disappeared 20 years ago.

http://www.veteranen.info/~turbo-john/a_tribute.htm

[DeV]

The Israeli heard there was the body of a non-arab buried in the area a number of years ago, they dug it up & once they confirmed it wasn't an Israeli, they ploughed the bones into a field.

Hopefully, it was not that of Kevin Joyce, but we can all live in hope.

[Mick O'Toole]

Irish Times Tue, Nov 13, 01

Smith asks Lebanese to help in search for soldier
By JIM CUSACK




The Minister for Defence, Mr Smith, yesterday renewed his appeal to governing figures in south Lebanon to use their offices to try and discover the whereabouts of the Irish soldier who remains missing in action, Pte Caoimhghín Seoighe (Kevin Joyce).


The Minister also yesterday made a financial commitment on behalf of the State to continue supporting the orphanage in Tibnin which was built and has been sponsored by the Irish troops. He met the staff of the orphanage and the 61 young girls in their care yesterday.

Mr Smith yesterday met the governor of the Tibnin area where the Irish Battalion have had their headquarters since they arrived here 23 years ago.

This morning at 7.30 a.m. local time (5.30 a.m. GMT) the last major contingent of Irish troops withdrew from the Irish Batt HQ, Camp Shamrock, in a brief ceremony at which the Minister officiated.

The command of the battalion area was handed over to the Commander, Lieut Col Sagbu by the outgoing Battalion Commander, Lieut Col Gerry Hegarty.

The troops were piped out of the camp gate. The gate was then closed by Cmdt John O'Brien, who as a young officer served with the first battalion here in 1978.

Some 41 Irish troops will remain in the camp until November 30th to complete the handover of operations to Ghanaian troops. The UNIFIL mission will then reduce to three battalions, the Ghanaian, Fijians and Indians. The Fijians, who suffered some of the heaviest losses while on service here, with 45 men killed in action, are scheduled to leave next year. Seventeen Irish died in action and 28 in accidents.

At his meeting with the town elders and local leaders yesterday, Mr Smith renewed his appeal for help in finding the remains of Pte Seoighe who disappeared after his post was attacked, it is believed by Palestinian militia, in 1981.

Mr Smith said: "Serving here has not been without its sacrifices. Forty-six men have died here and we are still missing Private Seoighe. Even though the prospect may not be great because we have exhausted so many avenues, I want you to continue to help us because his mother, who is quite elderly, is anxious to have the body back."

The local governor, Mr Assad Fawas, and Muktars, Abbas Fawas and Ali Hashim, acknowledged his request. However, there have been repeated requests to the local Shia leadership, and despite their efforts there have been no advances in the search. Mr Smith said the withdrawal of the battalion does not mean the search will end.

At the time of Pte Seoighe's disappearance, there was widespread conflict in south Lebanon. He was serving at the time on the edge of an area known as the "Iron Triangle" where Palestinian, Israeli and a number of Lebanese factions were fighting. Many people disappeared at this time and remain lost.

After his meeting Mr Smith went to the permanent memorial erected to the Irish dead in a grove of cedars on the hillside beside St George's Church which serves the small local Catholic community. The marble obelisk has the names of the 46 dead Irish troops carved on its plinth. A plaque has also been erected on the side of the church.

Mr Smith then visited the local orphanage which has been run through the care and sponsorship of the Irish Battalion. The orphanage has improved greatly since it was opened to care for the hundreds of local children, many of whom were abandoned because of the conflict.

The young girls are educated in the orphanage while boys go to a local school run by the Amal political party. The 61 girls who greeted the ministerial party were happy and being taught in small, well-appointed classrooms. The staff extended their thanks, pointed to individual acts of generosity and support from the Irish troops. The Irish troops leave as this area of south Lebanon has enjoyed more than a year of peace after decades of conflict.

[Itchy]

Leargas tonight RTE1 7.30

Leargas tonight RTE1 7.30

Probing the case of Private Caomhán Seoige, from Co Galway, who was captured from an isolated UN observation post in Lebanon.

[Itchy]

From what I caught of the programme it was the PLO that captured Pte Joyce and killed him.

However it I was under the impression that it was generally accepted that it was the Israelis that took the Irish soldier.

During the conflict the arabs had the tendancy to return the body of combatant as a sign of respect. However the Israelis did not do this. That night, Pte Joyce was on duty with Pte Hugh Doherty, who was shot in the back with an AK47, a weapon of the PLO.

Is there further info out there?

[hptmurphy]

The SLA etc were Israeli funded. 90% of Irish men who were killed in lebanon were killed by the Israelis or their affiliates. So much so after the three killed in the land mine in 88 the Israelis tried to buy off the families with a paltry 44k per family..what price on a dead mans soul?

[DeV]

I hate to say this but ...

Appartantly the Israeli found bones in Southern Lebanon a few years back, after scientists proved they weren't Israeli. The bones were ploughed into a field. Some think they could have belonged to Private Caomhán Seoige.