It's been 40 years since Paddy Gaffney last served in Africa. Then it was the Congo, where the fresh-faced 16-year-old - who had lied about his age - found himself catapulted into a terrifying civil war and sweating heavily in his "bull's wool" uniform.
This week he is back in Africa, this time as a battalion quartermaster sergeant, the second-highest non-commissioned rank, and in much happier circumstances. After a few days in Eritrea's capital, Asmara, he is facing into what looks like an easy mission and is already thinking about possible holidays.
"My wife, Adorina, is coming out, and we're thinking of Kenya," he said. "We might never get this opportunity again."
Ireland joined the multinational peacekeeping force in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) yesterday, one of the most successful UN missions in the world. In a brief morning ceremony French Foreign Legion troops handed responsibility for security and logistics to the 221-strong Irish contingent. The mission is scheduled to last 18 months.
The UN troops are monitoring the ceasefire between Ethiopia and Eritrea, the friends-turned-enemies who for two years fought a stubborn war over a remote stretch of rocky mountains. Since last year some 4,200 soldiers - mostly from Kenya, Jordan and India - are monitoring a 25km-wide buffer zone along their 1,000km border that will remain in place until the dispute is settled by an international commission currently meeting in The Hague.
The newly arrived Irish contingent will be based in Asmara where their main responsibilities include guarding the UN headquarters, operating communications equipment and delivering supplies to the field troops.
There is little risk in the city, which has a "green" security status. Some peacekeepers have been maimed in the heavily mined buffer area, known as the TSZ, but the Irish will only travel through the area in armoured convoys.
There will be three six-month tours of duty by Irish troops, who receive a £47 tax-free daily allowance. Many are veterans of the Lebanon mission, which ended after 23 years last month, while 65 are serving abroad for the first time.
Although the Army may become their family for the next six months, some have gone a step further. Capt ╔adaoin McNamara, a vehicle maintenance officer, will be serving under her father, Lieut Col Jim McNamara, who is the senior Irish officer.
Company Sgt Joe Mooney will serve alongside his 27-year-old son, Trevor, as will brother and sister Martin and Elaine Sourke, both from Athy, Co Kildare. "Someone has to keep an eye on him," joked Elaine, who admitted before leaving home to looking forward to Eritrea, where she will celebrate her 21st birthday.
Built in an art deco style by Italian colonists in the 1930s and 1940s, Asmara looks more like a suburb of Milan than an African city. And although Eritrea is poor and struggling to recover from the war, the immaculately clean streets are paved with smooth tarmac, and there is practically no crime.
"It's not what I expected. I thought it would be more lower down the scale," said Company Sgt Mooney, whose father and four brothers have served in the Army.
In a few weeks the Irish Transport Company is scheduled to escort the first regular land convoy between the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, and Asmara.
Some will travel in five new Mowag armoured personnel carriers (APCs) recently purchased by the Department of Defence at a cost of £1 million each. The roasting temperatures and rocky roads of the border region will provide a good testing ground, said the commanding officer, Lieut Col Billy O'Hara.
Although Eritrea and Ethiopia have maintained a mutually antagonistic attitude since fighting stopped, the peace process is holding steady, and the biggest danger to troops come from non-military sources. Sunburn comes easily in the thin air of Asmara, which is at an altitude of 7,700 feet.
There is also the danger of HIV/AIDS. The Irish troops have received extensive medical briefings. Prostitution has sharply increased in Asmara since the UN deployment, and three Danish peacekeepers have been sent home after being accused of having under-age sex.
Senior Irish officers do not envisage similar difficulties and have given strict orders to respect local cultural sensitivities.