There were poignant scenes in Dundalk and Donegal yesterday as Private Seán Rooney, killed in Lebanon last week, was laid to rest with full military honours.
The 24-year-old member of the Irish Defence Forces died when his convoy came under attack while carrying out UN peacekeeping duties.
Private Shane Kearney, from County Cork, who suffered a serious head injury in the same incident, was flown back to the Republic on Wednesday for further medical treatment and it must be hoped he makes a full recovery.
The death of Private Rooney is an immeasurable loss to his family and friends. This was a young man with his life ahead of him, who planned to be married next year, and had set off to the Lebanon to carry out the important work of peacebuilding.
As Father Derek Ryan told mourners at the Church of the Holy Family in Dundalk, it wasn't often talked about but peacekeeping is a risky business and only the families of those who served abroad truly knew the risks involved.
It is clear that Private Rooney, who was buried later in Colehill, Co Donegal, will be remembered with not only great sadness but also immense pride.
