Siege of Jadotville hero to lead Mayo county town parade

Retired Army Captain Noel Carey, a heroic figure in the seige of Jadotville which took place in Congo in September 1961, has been appointed to the prestigious role of grand marshal of the Castlebar St. Patrick's Day parade on March 17.

Mr. Carey, a resident of Derrycoosh, Islandeady, who served as a lieutenant with A Company 35th Infantry Battalion deployed to the UN mission in Congo in 1971, was involved in the five-day battle and was eventually taken prisoner when an agreed ceasefire was breached.

The courageous exploits of the Irish soldiers is captured in the film Siege of Jadotville, and Noel Carey was, along with his comrades, awarded the Jadotville Medal for Bravery in 2017 at a ceremony in Athlone.

Noel served on two other overseas missions in Cyprus in 1979 and 1971 before retiring from the Defence Forces in 1974.

In his youth, he played in the League of Ireland with Sligo Rovers and Bohemians and was capped three times by the Republic of Ireland at youth level.

He also played Gaelic football with Kildare and Limerick as well as interprovincial rugby with Connacht.