Galway officer makes Army history

Army personnel from Galway’s Dún Uí Mhaoilíosa barracks are putting the finishing touches to preparations before deploying on a peacekeeping mission in the Golan Heights, located on the troubled border between Syria and Israel.

The 54th Infantry Group of the Irish Defence Forces – based in Renmore – are set for a six-month tenure commencing towards the later part of the month.

And their commanding officer is Lieutenant Colonel Mary Carroll, who will make history as the first woman to lead an Irish Defence Forces Contingent on a six-month UN mission.

Lt Col Carroll has been a member of the defence forces for over 30 years and is regarded as one of the most experienced and highly skilled members in the Dún Uí Mhaoilíosa barracks.

She has collected a vast array of experience from missions in as far afield places such as Afghanistan, South Lebanon, and Kosovo and with a European Union training mission in Somalia.

“At this stage I just wish I was on the Golan Heights doing what I’m supposed to be doing as the officer who the Irish contingent of the UNDOF forces. We’ve had a very busy period of preparation and now it’s time to go,” she said.

She has recently returned from a tactical reconnaissance in the Syrian/Israeli area of separation where she, along with her experienced colleagues, were gathering information on conditions they may face during their time there.

“We are going to a very tense warzone where there are significant tensions but we are very clear about our mandate. We are very clear about the job we are going to be doing which is to be impartial observers in a very tense area.”

“But we are defence professionals; this is our bread and butter and what we have been training for,” she added.

See full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune