Over 160 Irish peacekeepers have been welcomed home by family and friends at Dublin Airport, following a challenging six-month deployment with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).
During the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, the 127th Infantry Battalion conducted multiple operations, including the medical evacuation of a wounded Ghanaian soldier and resupplying other United Nations Posts during volatile periods.
In December, a patrol also came under small arms fire.
There were emotional scenes as troops were reunited with loved ones.
Battalion Quartermaster Sergeant Paula Quinn described her sixth mission as a "a long and hard trip at times" but said she was out there alongside a "great bunch of people".
"The harder it got, the better people got on, they came together, their training came into it", she said.
Waiting patiently for her with his poster "Welcome Home Mammy" was her son Jack.
BQMS Quinn said they would make sure to have some "quality time" together now, and "maybe a trip to Smyth's toy store for Lego".
As the last members of the 127th Infantry Battalion returned home, members of the 128th Infantry Battalion have been deployed to Lebanon with UNIFIL in their place.
UNIFIL's operational mandate is currently scheduled to conclude on 31 December 2026.
A withdrawal phase is expected to begin in 2027.
In a statement, Minister for Defence Helen McEntee said that "Ireland has made a significant and highly valued contribution to UNIFIL since 1978" and it will "continue to fulfil (its) commitments through the mission’s final operational phase, while also supporting a safe and orderly withdrawal of UN peacekeeping forces".
"The continued deployment of Defence Forces personnel with UNIFIL until 31 December 2026 and... a presence in theatre beyond this date in order to support the safe, orderly and coordinated withdrawal of personnel and equipment during 2027," she added.
'Got on with the job'
One of the first peacekeepers to be reunited with his family was Derek Forrester from Dundalk who was met by his two sons Caolán and Cathal and his wife Nicola.
He described his first tour as "hectic" but he said it was "what we're trained to do, so we just got on with the job", and now that he's home he promised his youngest son that they would mow the grass tomorrow after the little boy said it was his favourite thing to do with his Daddy.
Private Kyle Hynes met his new nephew Teddy for the first time when he walked into the arrival hall in Dublin Airport's Terminal Two.
While in Lebanon he was the baby of the Battalion as the youngest serving member, turning 20 in Camp Shamrock.
Senior Petty Officer Dermot O'Connor said they "just got on with it" while in Lebanon.
"You do what you need to do and that's that," he said.
But waiting back home, his wife Gillian described the past six months as "nerve-wreaking" and that she "tried to not watch the news."
"We didn't tell the kids where he was, so they didn't see the full extent of it, but it was tough, it was nerve-wreaking but talking to him every day made it so much better," she said.
For Corporal Ross Mulcahy this tour was his second, having served previously in Syria.
He described this as "a lot harder".
"It was a tough six months, but it was worth it in the end - happy to be home," Corporal Mulcahy said.
His partner Katie O'Brien joked that he was "banned" from going on any more missions abroad.
When asked if it was stressful to watch the news about the conflict, she replied "very!"
"But he's home now so it's all worth it in the end," Ms O'Brien said.
Commanding Officer Lieutenant Colonel Mark Lennon described the return of the 127th Infantry Battalion as "bittersweet".
Lt Cl Lennon said that they were "delighted to be back" but that it was also "poignant" and "quite sad" to leave the region, where all 14 of the villages in their area of operation (AO) had been damaged in the recent conflict, and in the knowledge that the UN peacekeeping mission that has been ongoing since 1978 is coming to an end.
"It was really unreal to see the devastation in the villages," Lt Cl Lennon said.
"They all have some levels of battle damage, some more than others, and some of the ones closer to the Blue Line are completely damaged," he said.
He described the environment there as "kinetic" with "air strikes... artillery strikes, drone activity and drone strikes from both sides" with some incidents "in the vicinity" of the camp, but he described the "force protection measures" as "second to none".
He said the small weapons fire incident in December was "atypical" and was still being investigated.
"While that was a relatively serious incident at the time, there's a number of other incidents that also got our attention over the six months," Lt Cl Lennon said.
Engineer, Commandant Oisín Duffy, was part of the Quick Reaction Force (QRF), Armoured Ambulance and Fire Fighting Teams that responded after the Ghanian Battalion base came under fire.
"We extracted one casualty and extinguished the fire," Commandant Duffy said.
"It was extremely challenging, as there was a lot of kinetic activity... but our skills and drills kicked in, and we were able to use our QRF and our firefighting team to safely extract the casualty, and keep ourselves safe in the situation at the same time."
This was Commandant Duffy's first mission overseas and he said that taking part in this rescue and evacuation mission "brought us together and really made us gel as a team".
Lt Cl Lennon said those serving in the 127th Battalion were "an incredible team" and said that "the whole nation should be proud" of those members of the Defence Forces, who he described as a "true testament to Ireland".
