Lynn Boylan (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister. I add Sinn Féin's voice to this motion to recognise the sacrifices of the soldiers at the siege of Jadotville. September 2021 marks 60 years since one of the most remarkable and some would say miraculous sieges in military history. During what was known as the Congo crisis of 1960 to 1963, a contingent of 155 Irish UN troops, designated A Company, commanded by Commandant Pat Quinlan were sent to the mining town of Jadotville, now known as Likasi, ostensibly to assist in the protection of its citizens following a request by the Belgian ambassador to the UN. A Company found itself in hostile territory from the beginning, with the locals distrustful to the point of resentment of the UN presence.

At 7.40 on the morning of Wednesday, 13 September 1961, the Katangese attacked while many of the Irish UN troops were attending an open air mass. Expecting to take the men off guard, the first attackers moved in rapidly but were spotted by an Irish sentry and a warning shot by Private Billy Reidy alerted the company to the threat. Reidy was wounded in a later exchange. The attackers had a strength of 3,000 to 5,000 men, mostly Katangese and settlers but with many Belgian, French and Rhodesian mercenaries, armed with a mix of light and heavy armament and with air support. For the most part, the Irish UN soldiers were armed with only light personal weapons, a small number of machine guns and mortars. A Company, 35th Battalion suffered five wounded in action with no fatalities during the siege. The Katangese, on the other hand, suffered heavy losses. Up to 300 were killed, including 30 mercenaries, and an indeterminate number were wounded with figures ranging to from 300 to 1,000.

In the end, with his position untenable, without any clear orders or promise of assistance, having run out of ammunition and food and running low on water, Commandant Quinlan accepted the second offer to surrender to the Katangese on the afternoon of Sunday, 17 September 1961. Those Irish soldiers were then held as prisoners of war for approximately one month while the Katangese negotiated terms of release that would inflict the greatest embarrassment on the UN. Although A Company 35th Battalion had tactically defeated a larger enemy at Jadotville, the Irish Defence Forces leadership did not overtly acknowledge the battle. There may have been perceived shame that A Company had surrendered or because of political and strategic errors at higher levels. It is important to put into the record what happened over those days. Since the incident no Irish soldier has received any decoration for his actions at Jadotville even though Commandant Quinlan recommended 33 of his men for the military medal for gallantry.

In 2004, the then Minister for Defence, Deputy O'Dea, agreed to hold a full review of the battle. A Defence Forces inquiry cleared Commandant Quinlan and A Company of an allegation of soldierly misconduct. Commandant Pat Quinlan, whose actions are cited in military textbooks worldwide as the best use of perimeter defence and who died in 1997, only had his public reputation restored nine years after his death. In 2005 a commemorative stone recognising the soldiers of A Company was erected on the grounds of Custume Barracks in Athlone, the barracks from which A Company departed for its mission. A commissioned portrait of Commandant Quinlan was installed in the Congo room of the Irish Defence Forces UN school. In October 2017, a plaque commemorating Commandant Quinlan was unveiled in his native County Kerry by the former Taoiseach, Enda Kenny. They were presented with special medals, An Bonn Jadotville, at a special ceremony.

The Minister for Defence, Deputy Coveney, said the matter of bravery medals was considered by a properly constituted medals board in 1965 and that no awards were made for Jadotville. The decision was approved by the then Chief of Staff. A later Chief of Staff ordered a review of the decision and it was upheld. The Minister said that both medals are time bound - two years in the case of the military medal of gallantry and four years for the distinguished service medal.

I believe that all the honours that have been bestowed on the members of A Company show that there is an appetite among the public and across the political divide to recognise appropriately the sacrifice made. I add Sinn Féin's voice to today's motion. We are legislators and nobody is suggesting that politicians should be awarding military medals, but we need to fix this before the men pass on. It is in our gift to do that as legislators. This House speaks with one voice in saying to the Minister that while we recognise the complications, it should not mean that we will not try to fix it.