“Ireland’s outstanding record on the international stage in the service of peace strengthens the values we represent as a nation, inspiring the pride of our people at home and abroad.”
Since their first deployment in 1958, the men and women of the Irish Defence Forces and An Garda Síochána have contributed close to 70,000 tours of duty to United Nations Peacekeeping.
Ireland now holds the proud record of the longest unbroken service of any peacekeeping nation in the world.
“Ireland pursues an independent cause in foreign policy, but it is not neutral between liberty and tyranny and never will be,” noted then US President John F. Kennedy when highlighting the efforts of Ireland’s peacekeepers in 1963.
“No nation, large or small, can be indifferent to the fate of others, near or far. We are one human family, and this one planet is our home,” Kennedy said during his address to Dáil Éireann.
“Like the Wild Geese, you are not content to sit by your fireside while others are in need of your help, nor are you content with the recollections of the past when faced with the responsibilities of the present.”
Kennedy’s words are echoed in a new video from the Irish Defence Forces, which goes some way to paying tribute to those who have served and surrendered their lives in the name of peace over the past 60 years.
Clip via Óglaigh na hÉireann / Irish Defence Forces
Now, in 2018, they will be honoured by our own President Michael D. Higgins as part of a special ceremony at Dublin Castle this Sunday 24 June.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar with also be in attendance alongside Minister with Responsibility for Defence Paul Kehoe.
Commenting ahead of the occasion, Varadkar praised Ireland’s “outstanding record” on the international stage, and emphasised that it has not come without significant sacrifice.
“The Irish Government is strongly committed to contributing to international peace and security. Thousands of Irish men and women have served in the blue helmets over six decades, and that’s one of the reasons Ireland is making bid for a seat on the UN Security Council,” the Taoiseach began.
“Ireland’s outstanding record on the international stage in the service of peace strengthens the values we represent as a nation, inspiring the pride of our people at home and abroad.”
Ireland’s contribution has not come without sacrifice, 87 members of the Defence Forces, and one member of An Garda Siochana, have made the ultimate sacrifice in the cause of peace.
Today, there are 645 members of the Defence Forces deployed in 13 missions, in 13 countries and one sea, these troops are continuing Irelands proud peacekeeping record,” Varadkar concluded.
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