An Cosantóir

www.military.ie the defence forces magazine | 13 un60 WEEk unTsI T o mark the 60th Anniversary of Ireland's involvement in the United nations, the United nations training School Ireland (UntSI), in the Curragh Camp recently conducted briefings to 500 transi- tion year Students from Kildare, Limerick, Cork, Donegal, Dublin, Waterford, Wick- low and Sligo. Eleven schools from across the country attended the briefings, which covered the origins of the Un, Un charters, Universal Declaration of human Rights, recent and past DF missions, challenges of peacekeeping and future roles the DF may have within the Un. The occasion of UN60 week has provided a unique opportunity for the DF to educate students on Ireland's contribution to the United Nations around the World since 1955 and its on-going engagements. The students being giving the chance to become more informed and engaged with the different roles DF personnel have provided with the United Nations. The objective of the briefings is to allow stu- dents to be able to ap- preciate the origins of the UN, realise the range of peacekeeping missions and the complex challenges of each mission and the roles of key countries involved in the UN. The event also gave the opportunity to provide information on careers in the DF. The students were asked to complete surveys to assess the knowledge base of the education being delivered, which proved to be a great success. A UN 60 Week folder is now live on UNTSI's IKON page. Capt Deirdre Carbery and Sgt Denise English both from UNTSI briefing students. establish conditions under which justice and respect for the obligations arising from treaties and other sources of international law can be main- tained, and to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom, AND FOR THESE ENDS to practice tolerance and live to- gether in peace with one another as good neighbours, and to unite our strength to maintain international peace and security, and to ensure, by the acceptance of principles and the insti- tution of methods, that armed force shall not be used, save in the common interest and to employ international machinery for the promotion of the economic and social advancement of all peoples, HAVE RESOLVED TO COMBINE OUR EFFORTS TO ACCOMPLISH THESE AIMS. Objects on Display LIEUtEnAnt PAtRICK RIoRDAn 25 year old Lt Patrick Riordan originally from Cork led 1st Platoon 'A' Company 36 Battalion (all from Dublin) in the attack on the tunnel against two companies of Katangan gendarme led by white mercenaries and was killed by a concealed machine gun along with Pte Andrew Wickam of Bal- lyfermot. Lt O'Riordam was commis- sioned as a junior officer in 1956 and had arrived in the Congo on 5th December and he was only recently married. He posthu- mously received a DSM. SERgEAnt hUgh gAynoR A letter from Sgt Hugh Gaynor of 'A' Com- pany, 33rd Battalion ONUC describing life for him in the Congo, as the country descended into an ever more vicious war. Sgt Gaynor was one of the 9 Irish soldiers who were killed during the Niemba Ambush in the Congo in November 1960, seven days after this letter was sent. The last letter home to his wife written on the 11th December 1961. £1 note Lt Riordan was carrying at the time of his death, sent home from Congo. A letter from Sgt Hugh Gaynor of 'A' Company, 33rd Battalion ONUC describing life for him in the Congo, as the country descended into an ever more vicious war. Sgt Gaynor was one of the 9 Irish soldiers who were killed during the Niemba Ambush in the Congo in November 1960, seven days after this letter was sent.

• Cover