UNIFIL
An Irish/Lebanese Experience PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF www.unmultimedia.org
On the eve of the return of an Irish battalion to serve with UNIFIL, Sgt Wayne Fitzgerald met with Mr Guy Jonas of the Irish-Lebanese Cultural Foundation to find out about his organisation and his views on the return of Irish troops to South Lebanon.
Can you tell us something about yourself? I am from an emigrant family; my grandfather was born in Buenos Aires, and I was born and raised in Lebanon. My mother still lives in Jounieh, just outside Beirut. I left Lebanon in 1976. I am an engineer by profession and I met my wife, who is from Thurles, while working in Abu Dabi in the UAE. We married and lived for several years in Abu Dabi but when we decided to start a family we felt we wanted to raise our children in Ireland so we moved over here 12 years ago. I had always enjoyed my trips to Ireland. How did the idea for the Irish-Lebanese Cultural Foundation come about? It’s funny really. I saw the parade through O’Connell Street of the last Irish battalion to serve in Lebanon in 2001 and that was
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