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  • In a UNIFIL area as well.




    Commanders from Unifil (the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon) held emergency meetings with representatives of Israel’s defence forces and the Lebanese army following the attack and urged restraint from all parties.

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    • Explosion in Lebanon - at least 6 UN Soldiers injured.

      i hope in particular your lads are OK and nobody is seriously injured.
      RGJ

      ...Once a Rifleman - Always a Rifleman... Celer et Audax

      The Rifles

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      • Irish Defence Forces


        Bomb attack near Tyre, approx 30 Km from Irish HQ in Lebanon, French UNIFIL troops injured, NO Irish troops involved.

        The fact the bomb attack was near to Tyre is worring of itself-
        however 30 Km away may as well be 300 K away,
        lets hope our French Comrades are ok and merely suffering from the worst thing a French Soldier could suffer from- baggy pants.

        Tyre is the sewer of God's green earth.
        Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
        Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
        The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere***
        The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
        The best lack all conviction, while the worst
        Are full of passionate intensity.

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        • Appartantly Irish personnel had passed the scene of the explosion barely an hour before hand.

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          • President hails peacekeepers' courage.

            President Michael D Higgins has told Irish peacekeepers that people here are proud of their courage and sacrifice - especially at Christmas time.

            During a video link-up between Áras an Uachtaráin and soldiers in Lebanon, Mr Higgins said that not only do peacekeepers ensure that Ireland earns international trust and respect, they also wonderfully represent the care, the generosity, the sense of justice, and the good humour in times of difficulty that are such an important part of our Irishness.

            The video link-up took place during a party hosted by President Higgins and his wife Sabina for about 300 children and family members of the 550 peacekeepers will be overseas at Christmas.

            440 of the troops are serving in Lebanon.

            The children, from many parts of the country, were able to visit Santa at Arus an Uachtaran.

            They later sang Christmas songs for the troops during the link-up.

            The Assistant Chief of Staff, Brig Gen Michael Finn and the GOC of the Southern Brigade, Brig Gen Paul Packenham were present.
            President Michael D Higgins has told Irish peacekeepers that people here are proud of their courage and sacrifice - especially at Christmas.

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            • Originally posted by Rhodes View Post
              President hails peacekeepers' courage.



              http://www.rte.ie/news/2011/1212/army.html
              well done lads, i hope they get plenty of 'one on one' time over VTC with their families and friends too.
              RGJ

              ...Once a Rifleman - Always a Rifleman... Celer et Audax

              The Rifles

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              • "The Irish troops serving overseas would like to wish their families and friends a very merry Christmas. Some of the footage was taken when President Michael D HIggins met the families of personnel, who are serving overseas in Lebanon at a party in Áras an Uachtaráin."

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                • I see my old CO . Lt Col Philip Brennan front and centre, gentleman of the highest order.Best wishes to all overseas for Xmas.
                  Covid 19 is not over ....it's still very real..Hand Hygiene, Social Distancing and Masks.. keep safe

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                  • UNIFIL Christmas



                    Attached Files

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                    • New force commander

                      www.twitter.com/mickthehack

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                      • Lebanese swept up in worldwide tide of green for St. Patrick’s Day


                        Corp. Barry, Sgt. Barrett, Trooper Reilly and all troops will receive shamrock flown in from Ireland.

                        BEIRUT: Dubai’s Burj al-Arab is green today, as are the Leaning Tower of Pisa, Niagara Falls, the London Eye and South Africa’s Table Mountain. No, a mysterious pollutant isn’t shrouding international landmarks – it’s St. Patrick’s Day.

                        Celebrated annually on March 17, Ireland’s patron saint’s feast day commemorates the man credited with bringing Christianity to the pagan island in c.432 AD. But recalling St. Patrick’s missionary work now largely takes a backseat to the annual showcase of Irish culture – from music and dancing to much-stereotyped drinking habits – the festival entails.

                        In more recent years, Asian and Middle Eastern cities have started hosting St. Paddy’s Day parades and events, and welcoming Irish government ministers and dignitaries, in the name of the man mythology claims drove the snakes out of Ireland.

                        In Lebanon too, the popularity of the holiday has grown.

                        For eight years Maggie Preston Kent has been on the organizing committee of Beirut’s St. Patrick’s Day Gala Ball, and she says this year’s affair is the most popular yet, with the event sold out at its 170 capacity and people still seeking tickets.

                        “There’s been a definite increase in interest in St. Patrick,” she says. “People are ready for the craic [Irish for fun, or a good time].”

                        She adds that events around the holiday are taking place on a much larger scale than usual, singling out as examples St. Patrick’s bashes, widely promoted online, hosted by the Speakeasy in Hamra and We Run Beirut. Patrick’s Pub, an Irish bar on Uruguay Street in Downtown Beirut, is also putting on a party for the occasion.

                        The Irish community in Beirut is by no means huge, so one can safely assume that a significant proportion of those in attendance at these events will be Lebanese – although on St. Patrick’s Day Irish putters are known to temporarily and indiscriminately grant nationality to all and sundry.

                        Where one will find a large concentration of Irish people in Lebanon this Saturday is at Camp Shamrock in Tibnin. Here, the more than 400 Irish peacekeepers serving with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon will mark St. Patrick’s Day in a manner more traditional than most in this modern era. For one thing, there’ll be no green beer.

                        In the morning, explains Sgt. Fergus Barrett, all the troops will receive shamrock specially flown in from Ireland. Shamrock is a small plant with three heart-shaped leaves. St. Patrick, the tale goes, used it as a symbol to explain the divine trinity to his Irish converts.

                        Traditionally in Ireland, people attend mass on St. Patrick’s Day morning – it is a religious holiday after all. Ireland’s UNIFIL soldiers will also attend a mass celebrated by the contingent’s chaplain Fr. Tom Brady, at which their shamrock will be blessed.

                        The afternoon at the camp will be dominated by a medal parade, at which soldiers serving overseas for the first time will receive their U.N. medals. Irish Minister of State for Defense Paul Kehoe will be in attendance, alongside the UNIFIL force commander, making the occasion particularly special.

                        But while the feast day is an official holiday back home, the soldiers, must work. Barrett highlights that the battalion’s operational commitment must be sustained despite the occasion. He will commence his day by going on patrol.

                        “It definitely won’t be like home where you can go into the pub and sit down for the day,” he says.

                        For those soldiers lucky enough to be at base camp in the evening, the highlight of the day will be watching the culmination of the Six Nations rugby tournament with a showdown match between archrivals Ireland and England. Ireland aren’t in a position to win the competition overall, but they can still be instrumental in denying England a second consecutive title – a prospect relished by the country’s populous.

                        Corp. Kevin Barry won’t see the game as he’ll be on night patrol on the Blue Line, but says “a win for Ireland would have a great effect on morale.”

                        However, while St. Patrick’s has become a day both nationally and internationally synonymous with permissible lunchtime intoxication, no such indulgence can be authorized while tasked with such onerous work as patrolling Lebanon’s southern border.

                        It may seem counterintuitive to those well-versed in Irish cliches, but the soldiers aren’t overly tormented by this restriction.

                        Some Guinness, however, will be available “to mark the occasion” but only in a limited quantity. Barrett says the one or two kegs flown in from Ireland should stretch to about a pint apiece for those soldiers not on duty, while Trooper Paul Reilly comments that it’ll just be nice to have “a taste of home.”

                        Back in Beirut the Guinness supply may be likewise limited, with only a few pubs serving the black stuff, but otherwise revelers have free rein to imbibe as they will. Be warned though, embracing Ireland today, can leave you struggling to disengage from its hungover grip tomorrow.







                        A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Daily Star on March 17, 2012, on page 2.

                        Read more: http://www.dailystar.com.lb/Culture/...#ixzz1pMekMBR4
                        (The Daily Star :: Lebanon News :: http://www.dailystar.com.lb)


                        Attached Files
                        Last edited by Rhodes; 17 March 2012, 10:36.

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                        • Press Release 5.45 pm , Friday 16 March 2012

                          524 Irish Soldiers Bring St Patrick's Day Cheer to 11 Peace Support Missions in 14 Countries across the World

                          On St Patricks Day 2012, 524 Irish Soldiers will find themselves deployed in 14 countries across the globe on peace support missions. From the Congo to Kosovo, Afghanistan to Uganda, Irish Troops will complete their duties first and then celebrate our National Day with a mixture of military and national tradition.

                          Chief of Staff of the Irish Defence Forces, Lieutenant General Sean Mc Cann sent his best wishes to the men and women of Óglaigh na hÉireann who are deployed overseas for St Patrick's Day, " Let me express my best wishes and gratitude to you, the men and women of the Irish Defence Forces, as you celebrate our National Day far from home, your commitment and professionalism remains a source of great pride."

                          In Sarajevo, Bosnia, the Senior Irish Officer, Lieutenant Colonel Pat O'Leary started the celebrations for the Irish Defence Forces on the morning of 16 March when he presented a traditional bowl of Shamrock to the Commander of the European Union Force, Major General Robert Brieger of Austria.

                          In Kinshasa, Congo, the Irish Contingent with MONUSCO hosted a gathering on the evening of 16 March when the working day was done with other members of this peacekeeping mission and some invited guests from the community there. The guests were then introduced to the world of the "blank" (non-alcoholic) Irish Coffee and listened to some traditional Irish Music.

                          In Pristina, Kosovo, the Senior Irish Officer, Colonel John Hamill will award mission service medals and shamrock on St Patrick's Day to members of the Irish Contingent with the Kosovo Force (KFOR). This ceremony will then be followed by an international puc fada contest, which the Irish Contingent are favourites to win.

                          The majority of Irish Troops overseas are based with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) in Tibnin. Minister of State at the Department of Defence, Paul Kehoe TD will be the guest of honour at the medal parade for the 434 members of 105th Infantry Battalion on St Patricks Day. The Force Commander, Major General Paoulo Serra of Italy will award the UNIFIL Service Medal to the troops on parade and all personnel will proudly wear Shamrock. The remainder of the Battalion will remain fully operational with the daily business of patrolling along the "blue line" between Lebanon and Israel continuing in this volatile part of the Middle East.

                          In Kabul, Afghanistan, the Irish Contingent to the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) will host a parade where Shamrock will be presented to the Deputy Commander of ISAF, Lieutenant General Adrian Bradhsaw from the United Kingdom and the other members of the Force who claim Irish heritage. The staff in the headquarters will later sit down to a special lunch of Irish Stew, laid on by the catering staff in the dining facility.

                          All Irish Military Personnel deployed overseas for St Patrick's Day will continue to proudly wear the Irish Tricolour Badge on their left arm and those not deployed on operational duties will hope to sit down and cheer on the Irish Rugby Team on this special day, albeit a long way from family, friends and loved ones.

                          ENDS

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                          • St Patrick's Day in Lebanon.

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                            • Medal parade St Patrick's Day.

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