Lieut Col Oliver Clear and the 68th Infantry Group return home from their peacekeeping tour in Syria, marking the end of Ireland's presence in the Golan.
‘ Syria is a beautiful country. We’ll miss that’: Tears and hugs as final Irish contingent returns from the Golan
Last year, the Government decided to withdraw the vast majority of Irish troops due to manpower pressures on the Defence Forces and the need to free up personnel for the EU Battlegroup which begins training this year.Read Dean Rock and Michael Murphy every week in The Irish Times The decision has been controversial. Sinn Féin called the withdrawal “deeply regrettable” and said it represents the failure of successive governments to properly invest in the Defence Forces. The party’s defence spokesman, Matt Carthy, said the withdrawal is happening at a time “when a commitment to peace in that region is more important than ever”.
Such political concerns were far from the minds of the 120 troops who arrived at Terminal One on Friday afternoon. They were just glad to see their families again. There was applause, cheers and tears from relatives as the soldiers entered the arrivals hall. These were followed by long hugs and more tears from children who in some cases had not seen their parent in six months.
The soldiers were also relieved to have completed one of the largest logistical operations in recent Defence Forces history. As the last Irish deployment, they were responsible for bring home 280,000 pieces of equipment, including 30 vehicles, worth close to €23 million. “For us to succeed without a glitch and to have everything in place three days early and at sea before we get back to Ireland is a significant achievement.”
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