Jadotville anniversary year passes with no State event held

The year of the 60th anniversary of the battle of Jadotville has passed without the Government delivering on its pledge to hold a State event commemorating the milestone.

Speaking in the Seanad last summer, Defence Minister Simon Coveney said the Government would "of course" hold a State event marking the anniversary of the events in the Congo in 1961.

"Of course, we will commit to holding a State event to recognise the 60th anniversary on September 16. It will probably be held on the following Sunday, as is traditional for Defence Forces events," said Minister Coveney in July.

"It will probably be on September 19, but we will certainly inform Members of those formal ceremonies and events in recognition of the extraordinary service of the men involved," he added.

Despite these remarks, no State commemoration took place in September. When contacted by the Westmeath Independent that month, a spokesperson for the Department of Defence said planning was "underway" for "an appropriate commemorative event to mark the 60th anniversary," but that no date had been fixed for it.

When an update was requested in October, the Department said plans for the State event had been put on hold as a result of a legal action challenging the outcome of an independent review on the issue of medals for soldiers who served in Jadotville.

In Athlone, a 60th anniversary memorial commemoration was organised in September by the local branch, Post 9, of the Irish United Nations Veterans Association (IUNVA). The event, which took place in Coosan Cemetery, was attended by family members of the Jadotville soldiers. It also remembered the wider community of local military men who died on other overseas missions.

The Military Archives also marked the Jadotville anniversary with the opening of an online exhibition focusing on the battle and its immediate aftermath.

Many of the 156 Irish peacekeeping soldiers involved in the battle of Jadotville were from Athlone. Custume Barracks was the site for both the memorial plaque to the men of 'A' Company, unveiled in 2005, and the presentation of An Bonn Jadotville, the Jadotville medal, which was awarded to the veterans and their families in 2017.