Alice-Mary Higgins (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister to the House to discuss this and recognise this previous engagement with this House on it. I acknowledge the very sincere engagement by colleagues from right across the House and from every party who have spoken about this issue. I speak tonight on behalf of Senator Black, who has engaged very closely with many of the families of the survivors of Jadotville. She regrets she cannot be here. As somebody who has watched these debates and not been the key speaker in them in the past, there is no doubt in my mind of the real and genuine sincerity of Members on this issue and the lack of political division, motivation or point-scoring. This sits with a record in this House that where we deal with issues of international human rights and of decency, such as the murder of Pat Finucane, there is sincere and cross-party engagement from Members. The Minister will be aware of that because he has often been here for such debates. It is important to note that.

I regret the report does not identify and recognise the tone and motivation of the Seanad's engagement. However, we should be glad of that engagement because the Seanad debate did contribute to the forming of an independent review group. Some of the very important recommendations on welfare, counselling and supports for those who exit the Defence Forces would not have got centre stage without the review group and the press on the issue from the House. I hope the recommendations will be acted upon. There are very important issues of welfare, health support and counselling for those traumatised not simply by the events of Jadotville but how they were treated subsequently and indeed the trauma visited on their families by how society treated them.

While those are part of what is at issue, the real core here is still that question of recognition. The report itself acknowledges, "The Jadotville experience was willfully ignored, and knowingly silenced, initially in the 1960s, and then in subsequent years." Interestingly, the Minister himself pulled out this quote. Having had the experience of being silenced for so long, what people want now is that it be heard first of all and that it does not become invisible. That is why it is a concern for eight living members of the 33 who were recommended by Commandant Quinlan for the distinguished service medals and indeed the five recommended for military medals for gallantry. They felt seen by their commander and I am sure it was an important thing for them that he saw what they did and their bravery in extraordinarily difficult circumstances. As well as that collective recognition, it is very important to remember there is no question about that being deserved by all who received An Bonn Jadotville.

However, we must consider those specific people and their families. Senator Black is often better at reading the personal stories than I am. I tend to go to the policy. She shared with me the correspondence she has had with some of the people. Mr. Noel Carey talked of going in as a young man to be a peacekeeper and finding himself fighting for the survival of his friends, colleagues and those in his group.There was correspondence from a woman, Helena Quinn, who writes about her father, Corporal Tadhg Quinn, and the impact it had on him all his life and what it meant for him. She wrote about the specific role he played with mortars and digging in defensive positions. All of that work was seen by their commander. That is why he recommended them and that is why it is still difficult.

It is appropriate that Colonel Pat Quinlan is nominated and that there is a recommendation for him to be awarded the distinguished service medal. He could also be honoured by recognition that, as a commander, he recognised the gallantry of those who served with him.

Neither those of us in the Seanad nor anyone else sought to make submissions or to in any way engage with the work of the independent review group because it is an independent review group. The independent review group has now made recommendations. There will now be a new potential medals board. The medals boards of the 1960s made their decisions but this medals board will also be independent of the independent review group. It will make its own decisions. It is perhaps important that we do not close the door in terms of what the medals board can do, should a new one be constituted, as the Minister has suggested. It will of course be looking to award the appropriate award to Colonel Pat Quinlan but it could and should be free to make decisions about what it might do in future. Again, the medals boards of the 1960s are fine and I know the suggestion is that they should not be revisited but I believe that door should not be closed.

UN peacekeeping is something that we are all proud of. Ireland has the longest unbroken service with the United Nations of any country. We have lost many people in peacekeeping, including 26 people in Congo alone. UN peacekeeping is different from other kinds of military service because it is not for interests or for benefit. It is in the service of peace and the protection of life. It is in the service of the support for civilian society and protection of civilians. We have played a particular role. It was regrettable that the narrative was placed in terms of the framings and was undermining. The work over five difficult days and over weeks of captivity in preserving and protecting the lives of colleagues was part of that peacekeeping mission and that sense of humanity. These soldiers served humanity and one another. They did not serve any interests. This was very much in spirit with the way they were directed to act and the way they bravely fought under the leadership of Colonel Pat Quinlan.

It was appropriate for the Minister to mention that Ireland is on the UN Security Council. It is important for us to remember the reason we are on the Security Council. One of the things is our role in disarmament and other reasons include our role in peacekeeping and peacebuilding. The role of Ireland in being a champion for peace and in not being subject to military interests is relevant as are the United Nations values of humanity and peace. It is appropriate that the Minister mentioned that he will look to find other ways to honour the men of Jadotville as part of our leadership of the Security Council in the autumn.