Congo
On 13th July 1960 Ireland was one of the countries requested to provide troops to the proposed ONUC (Organisation des Nations Unies au Congo) mission. ONUC was established in reaction to Belgium’s unilateral intervention to protect its citizens in the newly independent state and to assist in the secession of the mineral-rich Katangan province. The mission’s mandate was to facilitate the removal of Belgian troops, maintain law and order and help legitimise the post-colonial government. The first troops of the 32nd Infantry Battalion left Dublin on 27th July 1960 bound for the Congo. In total eight battalions, two infantry groups and two armoured car squadrons served in the Congo. Of the numerous operations undertaken, and the incidents that happened on these missions, the most well-known would be the Niemba Ambush, the Battle of Jadotville and the Battle of the Tunnel.
Death of Lieutenant Paddy O’Riordan
Category: Congo
Peter Feely
Interviewed for MAOHP - 24/06/2016
Location(s): Elizabethville Katanga Congo
Length: 3.01
Battle of the Tunnel (Throwing hand grenades)
Category: Congo
Peter Feely
Interviewed for MAOHP - 24/06/2016
Location(s): Elizabethville Katanga
Length: 3.34
Battle of the Tunnel (Receiving orders)
Category: Congo
Peter Feely
Interviewed for MAOHP - 24/06/2016
Location(s): Elizabethville Katanga Congo
Length: 4.35
Battle of the Tunnel
Category: Congo
Peter Feely
Interviewed for MAOHP - 24/06/2016
Location(s): Elizabethville Katanga Congo
Length: 5.13
Arrival at Leopold Farm with ‘A’ Company 36th Battalion (December 1961)
Category: Congo
Peter Feely
Interviewed for MAOHP - 24/06/2016
Location(s): Elizabethville Katanga Congo
Length: 2.22
Flight into Elizabethville under fire with ‘A’ Company 36th Battalion (December 1961)
Category: Congo
Peter Feely
Interviewed for MAOHP - 24/06/2016
Location(s): Elizabethville Katanga Congo
Length: 4.03
Eve of the Battle of the Tunnel
Category: Congo
Peter Feely
Interviewed for MAOHP - 24/06/2016
Location(s): Elizabethville Katanga Congo
Length: 3.22
Niemba – Sean Norton
Category: Congo
Sean Norton
Interviewed for MAOHP - 30/01/2017
Location(s): Niemba
Length: 2.24
Memories of the Battle of the Tunnel
Category: Congo
Sean Norton
Interviewed for MAOHP - 30/01/2017
Location(s): Elizabethville Katanga
Length: 2.42