The funerals of the four soldiers who died in Monday's road crash outside Beirut will take place this weekend at their homes in Kildare and Portlaoise.
The bodies were flown into Casement Aerodrome at Baldonnel yesterday evening to be met by their families, senior political figures led by the President, Mrs McAleese, and the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, and by church dignitaries.
The coffins arrived on an Air Corps Casa aircraft and were carried by soldiers at slow march to a hangar, while a piper played The Dawning of the Day.
At a service for the soldiers the Defence Forces senior chaplain, Mgr John Crowley, spoke of the shock at the deaths of the young soldiers, and praised their work and that of their colleagues still serving with the United Nations in Lebanon.
Mgr Crowley said the young men had died on St Valentine's Day, "a special day of being with those who are special to you". He added: "For all of you it will be remembered as a day of separation, of loss or heartbreak.
"Going to Lebanon is a central part of our lives as members of the Defence Forces. Serving in Lebanon is about service of one's country. It is about real active soldiering.
"It is about making an important contribution to peace in our troubled world. It is about standing with the vulnerable and weak of our world and acting as their voice, their protector.
"In our work for peace we use our words as persuasion rather than weapons. We coax and cajole rather than intimidate or threaten. We use our Irish warmth, humour and goodwill to melt the coldness and bitterness of others. Indeed, blessed are the peacemakers."
Lieut. Col Barney Donagh, the officer commanding the battalion in Lebanon, accompanied the bodies home.
He said: "The interests of the Defence Forces were well served by the quality and commitment of these young men. They worked very hard and contributed in a very positive fashion to the people of south Lebanon.
"Their families can take solace from the fact that their sons died carrying out work that was relevant and made a difference to 50,000 people who live in the Irish Battalion area.
"They enjoyed the company of wonderful colleagues and friends, and it is not easy losing young soldiers. They were the best young soldiers that we had. We are so proud of our young recruits, and to lose them in such tragic circumstances is almost worse than if we had lost them in combat."
The coffins of the four soldiers were draped in the national flag and the blue flag of the United Nations as they were borne from the aircraft by the bearer party from the 3rd Infantry Battalion at the Curragh, to which all four belonged.
Ptes Declan Deere and Jonathan Murphy, who were close friends, will be buried beside each other after a joint funeral service at St Michael's Church in Athy at 11 a.m. today.
Pte John Lawlor will be buried after a Mass at 3 p.m. at the Sacred Heart Church in Nurney, Co Kildare; and Pte Brendan Fitzpatrick will be buried after 3 p.m. Mass at St Fintan's Church, Raheen, Co Laois.
Mrs McAleese attended the removal of Pte Lawlor's remains and will attend the two other funeral services today.