Final training has been taking place for the 127th Infantry Battalion ahead of its United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) deployment next month.
It will be one of the last UNIFIL missions before it is brought to an end in 2027.
Battalion Quartermaster Paula Quinn said they are aware it could be the end of an era soon.
She is the first woman in the role, and looks after every aspect of the battalion's needs.
"The Irish Defence Forces have been deployed in UNIFIL for 40 plus years... we have local people serving in our camp, who've spent their lives with the Irish Defence Forces overseas. So it will be bittersweet," she said.
A Mission Readiness Exercise has been under way at the Glen of Imaal in Co Wicklow, where members of the unit conducted several practice operations including live firing, battlefield inoculation, casualty evacuations, ambushes and patrolling.
The Defence Forces said it is designed to test personnel in several demanding scenarios that represents the realities of the current situation in the Middle East and Southern Lebanon, "which remains a volatile mission area".
Captain Ciara Carroll said she has enjoyed the training as she prepares for community engagement and outreach activities on the ground in southern Lebanon.
"Really excellent training we've done in the pre-deployment phase here, especially in the Glen of Imaal.
"I recently got married in July so people have said this would be the best year of marriage of his life. He'll get six months of peace," she said.
This battalion of 350 personnel will be deployed in November and is made up of 341 members of the Irish Defence Forces and nine from the Armed Forces of Malta.
Maria Ibrahim from the Armed Forces in Malta has spent the last two months in Ireland training with the Defence Forces.
"It's my first time coming over here to train for my first overseas deployment.. Irish people work very well in a team," she said.
Lieutenant Colonel Mark Lennon, Officer Commanding of the 127 Infantry Battalion, said it is a concern, however he said "troops are well trained".
"We're trained peacekeepers. We're trained soldiers. We expect volatility. We're deploying to an area of conflict... we're ready," he said.
In August, the UN Security Council voted to withdraw UNIFIL forces from southern Lebanon.
Read more: UN Security Council votes for Lebanon peacekeepers to leave in 2027
The operation will be brought to a close in 2027, bringing an end to mission which Irish troops have been associated with, on and off, for nearly 50 years.
For those on first time deployment, they are glad to get the experience.
Private Emma Scynes, 21, said she joined the Defence Forces because of family tradition but also for the fitness opportunities.
"I've always wanted to join since I was young," she said.
"I have multiple family members in (the Defence Forces), so the likes of my auntie, uncles, cousins. And they'd all be very proud of me."
While 19-year-old Private Kyle Hynes said that he is glad for the experience, "even if it's one of the last".
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