Ireland can be proud of mission to Congo, says Archbishop Martin

UN PEACEKEEPERS REMEMBERED:THE MISSION to the Congo was "something of which Ireland can be proud," Catholic Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin has said.

He was speaking at a Mass in the Church of Mary Immaculate, Rathmines, Dublin, on Saturday to mark today’s 50th anniversary of the Niemba ambush, in which nine Irish soldiers died.

“The distinguished history of peacekeeping carried out by our Defence Forces, An Garda Síochána and our foreign service – involving also our volunteers and our missionaries – has brought honour to the name of Ireland.

“We can be proud of our soldiers who have shown courage and humanity in their interaction with the people”, but also “a unique capacity in their specific mission as military peacekeepers. Few countries have attained a similar capacity technically and humanly,” he said.

He singled out for praise the five Defence Forces chaplains with whom he concelebrated the Mass. “Look after them,” he asked Defence Forces personnel present, “they are great people, all of them”.

Earlier, a special commemorative ceremony was held nearby in the Memorial Garden at Cathal Brugha Barracks. In attendance were former soldiers who had served in the Congo, the two survivors of the Niemba ambush, Tom Kenny and Joe Fitzpatrick, and relatives of the men who died.

Minister of State Áine Brady was among those who laid wreaths. Also there were Cmdt Mick Treacy representing the Taoiseach, Minister for the Environment John Gormley, Labour Party TD Ruairí Quinn and Defence Forces chief of staff Lieut Gen Seán McCann. Lord Mayor of Dublin Gerry Breen attended the Mass which followed.

Yesterday, at the UN Memorial Garden in Dublin’s Arbour Hill, all 91 Irishmen who died while on UN service abroad were remembered at the annual wreath-laying ceremony. There was an emphasis on the men who died at Niemba, with Pierrot Ngadi, chairman of the Congolese Anti-Poverty Network, laying a wreath on behalf of his country.

Minister of State John Curran said the Niemba massacre represented “the single greatest loss by the Defence Forces since the foundation of the State”. In attendance were Dublin’s deputy Lord Mayor Ruairí McGinley and Defence Forces chief of staff Seán McCann. A wreath was also laid by Jennifer Grene, whose husband Andrew died in Haiti’s earthquake last January. A political affairs officer, he was the most recent Irish person to die on UN duty.

‘I still remember the huge crowds . . . it was so emotional’

CATHERINE ELDER was 15 at the time and remembers it all too clearly. Her uncle Sgt Hugh Gaynor, from Leixlip, Co Kildare, was 29 when he was killed with eight other Irish soldiers in the ambush by Baluba tribesmen 50 years ago today.

At the ceremony in Cathal Brugha Barracks, she recalled how her mother, Sgt Gaynor’s sister, “never bought an ‘Evening Press’ after that day”.

“That was because of the front-page headline that day. It read ‘Irish Soldiers Slaughtered in Congo’.” It was two days later before the news was confirmed. “She never let that paper into the house again,” Catherine recalled.

She remembered “the huge crowds on O’Connell Street” for the funerals as the coffins were carried on gun carriages to Glasnevin cemetery.

“I still remember [the crowds at] the GPO . . . hundreds . . . and hearing the ‘Last Post’ in Glasnevin. It was so emotional.”

Tom Kenny from Ballyfermot was a 22-year-old private that day in Niemba and is one of just two soldiers to survive the ambush. He believes he’d have died too, but for Lieut Kevin Gleeson, who gave the order to disperse as they were attacked.

He went deep into the jungle where he was found by an Irish patrol 41 hours later.

“God had been holding me in his hand,” he commented.

Joe Fitzpatrick from Cabra, the other survivor that day, said if Lieut Gleeson was a British officer, they would all have been killed. The order would have been “for king and country,” he said, whereas Lieut Gleeson shouted “we’re all going to be killed” and ordered dispersal.

Then aged 20, Joe was found at 10am the following day by an Irish UN patrol.

The men who died at Niemba were Lieut Kevin Gleeson; Sgt Hugh Gaynor; Cpl Liam Dougan; Cpl Peter Kelly; Pte Matthew Farrell; Tpr Thomas Fennell; Tpr Anthony Brown, Pte Michael McGuinn and Pte Gerard Kileen.