Irish UN Missions

Thomas_...

Looks like an interesting Topic one barely reads much about it:

http://www.thejournal.ie/siege-jadotville-jamie-dornan-interview-2987941-Sep2016/

"It should never have happened": Irish soldiers' forgotten battle told in Siege of Jadotville

FOR THE SURVIVING members of the UN’s 1961 A Company, last night’s Irish premiere of the film The Siege of Jadotville was not about Hollywood stars, massive budgets, or the backing of one of the movie industry’s most powerful production companies.

It was about memories, and justice, and a chance for the world to see what happened when a contingent of 155 Irish troops were sent to the Congo on a peacekeeping mission that could have turned into a bloodbath.

Many of the men came to the premiere at the Savoy in Dublin city centre last night with the physical reminder of their past – a soft blue UN hat – clutched in their hand or perched on their head.

The film got a standing ovation, with the applause directed at the men, both alive and since passed, whose bravery had been played out for nearly two hours on screen.
...
The Siege of Jadotville, which gets a cinema release this weekend before moving to Netflix on 7 October, is set in 1961, when the United Nations intervened in the Katanga conflict in the African Congo. You have probably never heard of these men, or of the battle they fought – one which, facing improbable odds, they all survived – but a book by Declan Power first helped to tell their story .

It was aptly called The Siege at Jadotville: The Irish Army’s Forgotten Battle.

The men were forgotten, and as the film shows, deliberately so.
...

Ascendant

The impression one gets is that the country - or at least the government - found the whole matter distinctly embarrassing and preferred to pretend it never happened.

As with many points in Irish history, it takes times and distance before people will properly engage with an uncomfortable topic (as opposed to, say, US or UK history, which tends to get talked to death).

Thomas_...

Ascendant wrote: »

The impression one gets is that the country - or at least the government - found the whole matter distinctly embarrassing and preferred to pretend it never happened.

As with many points in Irish history, it takes times and distance before people will properly engage with an uncomfortable topic (as opposed to, say, US or UK history, which tends to get talked to death).

Apart from what you said, the film is also sheding a light on the UN peacekeeping missions in General, the vulnerability of the UN Peacekeeping Forces and how they were very often exposed to semi situations like in that film.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_Nations_peacekeeping_missions

Although I´m not that familiar with the history of that, one incident springs to mind in which the UN Peace Force at Srebrenica had to watch the genocide there and could do nothing against it, for their hands were bound by the UN regulations. From what I´ve learned, it took a long time until the UN Peace Forces were "allowed" to defend themselves in case of being attacked by one of the belligerent parties. In the case of this film, the Irish UN Peace troopers were attacked by belligerent forces and it looks to me, that for the fact that the Irish were defending themselves, this has caused the "embarrassment" by the Irish govt. But the troopers were right to defend themselves to survive against an outnumbering aggressor.

Jesus.

As brave as the men were and as well as Cmdt Quinlan performed during the battle, he messed up right at the end and it was all for naught

knucklehead6

Jesus. wrote: »

As brave as the men were and as well as Cmdt Quinlan performed during the battle, he messed up right at the end and it was all for naught

Go on... enlighten us with hoe Quinlan messed up

Jesus.

Its been done to death already

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056198874

KidMeNotA1

The whole sorry business was at the doorstep of Conor Cruise O'Brien, who failed miserably. During my time in Jadotville, now Likasi, and my years in Katanga, he was well remembered by illiterate Africans, even 15 years later, and not in any good way. The usual case of Irish-ism - "don't rock the boat, it is not nice to recall nasty things, especially if he is one of ours"