Athlone town centre was brought to a standstill at noon yesterday as the community paid tribute to Irish soldiers killed on peacekeeping missions over the last 50 years.
Serving and retired members of the 4th Western Brigade attended the unveiling of a memorial to their 19 fallen comrades at Athlone Castle.
Since 1960, Ireland has carried out almost 60,000 individual troop missions for the UN, Brig Gen Gerry Hegarty told those assembled.
However, “this proud service has not come without a cost – 84 soldiers from the Defence Forces have died on UN service; 19 of these were from the west. We do not forget these brave men or their families,” he said.
Some 100 members of the Defence Forces, including the band of the 4th Western Brigade and a lone piper, were involved in the ceremony.
