Latest news with #soldier
BreakingNews.ie
3 days ago
- General
- BreakingNews.ie
Mother of Irish soldier Sean Rooney gets permission to sue the United Nations
The mother of a young Irish soldier killed in action in Lebanon three years ago has been given permission by the High Court to sue the United Nations in the Irish courts. Private Sean Rooney (24) was killed while on UN duty when the armoured vehicle he was driving from south Lebanon to Beirut came under fire in December 2022. Advertisement His mother, Natasha Rooney, from Newtowncunningham in Co Donegal, has already initiated proceedings against the Irish Defence Forces, the Minister for Defence, and the State parties, Ireland and the Attorney General, over the death of her son. She is suing for mental distress allegedly sustained by her and other members of the soldier's family as a result of his death. Her counsel, Ray Motherway BL, told the High Court on Tuesday that Pte Sean Rooney lost his life in an ambush and they now wanted leave to issue and serve proceedings on the UN, which has headquarters in New York. On December 14th, 2022, Pte Rooney was driving a UN-marked armoured SUV-type vehicle which was travelling as part of a two-vehicle convoy on an administrative run to Beirut Airport from the Irish UN base, Camp Shamrock. Four soldiers were in each SUV. Advertisement The vehicle driven by Pte Rooney became separated from the other one and ended up in a town called Al-Aqbiyah where it came under gunfire and Pte Rooney was killed. Central to the case against the UN is the allegation that UN officials allegedly ordered soldiers at the Irish base to stand down from going to assist as those officials believed other peacekeepers may have been closer. In an affidavit to the High Court grounding the application, solicitor Darragh Mackin of Phoenix Law solicitors said investigations by the Irish Defence Forces were ongoing, a criminal prosecution in Lebanon was ongoing and a verdict from the Dublin Coroner's Court was awaited. The affidavit said there was 'currently limited information available to Ms Rooney regarding the relevant circumstances.' As the United Nations has it main office and place of business in the United States, the affidavit said it was necessary to bring the application for leave to issue and serve the intended proceedings outside the jurisdiction. Advertisement Mr Mackin said the United Nations is a proper party to the proceedings as it was involved in the operation of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (Unifil) and Pte Rooney was killed in action on a Unifil peacekeeping mission. Ireland Lebanese ministers offer 'assurance' to Harris ove... Read More The Republic of Ireland, he said, was an appropriate jurisdiction where to hear and determine the intended proceedings as the balance of the intended defendants have their main offices within the State and witness are likely to be resident in Ireland too. He said it would also save on costs rather than have the dispute litigated in Lebanon or in the United States. Mr Justice Paul Coffey accepted jurisdiction and granted permission to issue a plenary summons and serve it on the UN based in New York. A copy of the personal injuries summons, which will set out the allegations against all parties, will now be served on the UN, which will have 42 days to enter an appearance in the case.
Irish Times
3 days ago
- General
- Irish Times
Seán Rooney: Mother of Irish soldier killed in Lebanon given permission to sue United Nations
The mother of an Irish soldier killed in Lebanon has been given permission by the High Court to sue the United Nations (UN) in the Irish courts. Private Seán Rooney was on UN duty when the armoured vehicle he was driving from south Lebanon to Beirut came under fire in December 2022. His mother, Natasha Rooney, from Newtowncunningham, Co Donegal, has already initiated proceedings against the Defence Forces, the Minister for Defence, Ireland and the Attorney General over her 24-year-old son's death. Pte Seán Rooney's mother, Natasha, and her husband, Paul, at Dublin District Coroner's Court last summer. Photograph: Colin Keegan/ Collins She is suing for mental distress allegedly sustained by her and other members of the family as a result of Pte Rooney's death. READ MORE Barrister Ray Motherway, for Ms Rooney, on Tuesday told the High Court Pte Rooney lost his life in an ambush and his side wanted leave to issue and serve proceedings on the UN, which has headquarters in New York. On December 14th, 2022, Pte Rooney was driving a UN-marked armoured SUV-type vehicle which was travelling as part of a two-vehicle convoy on an administrative run to Beirut Airport from the Irish UN base, Camp Shamrock. Four soldiers were in each SUV. The vehicle driven by Pte Rooney became separated from the other one and ended up in a town called Al-Aqbiyah where it came under gunfire and Pte Rooney was killed. Central to the case against the UN is the allegation that UN officials allegedly ordered soldiers at the Irish base to stand down from going to assist as those officials believed other peacekeepers may have been closer. In an affidavit grounding Ms Rooney's application to sue the UN, solicitor Darragh Mackin of Phoenix Law said Pte Rooney was on a United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (Unifil) deployment at the time of his death. He said investigations by the Irish Defence Forces and a criminal prosecution in Lebanon are ongoing, and that a verdict form the Dublin Coroner's Court is awaited. Mr Mackin said there is 'currently limited information available to Ms Rooney regarding the relevant circumstances' of her son's death. As the UN has it main offices and place of business in the US, he said it was necessary to bring the application for leave to issue and serve the intended proceedings outside the jurisdiction. Mr Mackin said the UN is a proper party to the proceedings as it was involved in the operation of Unifil and Pte Rooney was killed in action on a Unifil peacekeeping mission. The State, he added, is an appropriate jurisdiction to hear and determine the intended proceedings as the balance of the intended defendants have their main offices here and witnesses are resident in Ireland. It would also save on costs rather than having the dispute litigated in Lebanon or the US, he said. Mr Justice Paul Coffey accepted jurisdiction and granted permission to issue and serve a plenary summons on the UN in New York, which will have 42 days to enter an appearance in the case.
BBC News
4 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Soldier did not harm himself before death in Catterick
A soldier whose dead body lay undiscovered for three weeks in his bed at an Army barracks had not harmed himself before he died, an inquest has the first day of the inquest into the death of 33-year-old L/Cpl Bernard Mongan at Catterick Barracks in January 2020, North Yorkshire Coroners' Court heard that the soldier had not been seen since the inquest, senior coroner Jon Heath considered whether the soldier could have died from poisoning after barbiturates including Promethezene and Phenobarbital, which have a sedating effect, were found in his paramedic Paul Spence told the court there was "no evidence of self-harm or suicide". Mr Spence, from Yorkshire Ambulance Service, said: "He was found by friends in his bed and had not been seen at work since Christmas time."There were no empty medication bottles nearby or signs of self-harm and had severe stages of decomposition, which made it harder to work out his death." Also giving evidence, pathologist Dr Nigel Cooper said the state in which L/Cpl Mongan's body was found on 23 January 2020 meant it was difficult to determine how he had died."The levels of the two drugs can't kill him alone and would require a third substance," he told the court."There was an empty Jack Daniel's whiskey bottle found in his no evidence of when or how quickly the alcohol was consumed.""I've thought about this, and I just don't have enough evidence to pull you in one way or another," Dr Cooper added that there had been nothing such as problems with L/Cpl Mongan's heart or brain to explain his sudden death, and no injuries had been found on his body."If he had taken the alcohol and drugs he could have died, but I just don't know if he did," Dr Cooper added. 'Amazing dad' The inquest into the death of L/Cpl Mongan also heard from the soldier's mother, Mary Mongan, who called her son a "dedicated father of three".Ms Mongan told the court: "Family meant everything to him and he meant everything to us."Even though he has gone, we are still proud of all his achievement, as we had a very close bond."It's devastating for all of us that he is no longer with us. His death has left us with so many questions as it came as such a shock for us all."Meanwhile, L/Cpl Mongan's wife, Beth Mongan, who was separated from him at the time of his death, said the 33-year-old "had a wicked sense of humour".He was "an absolutely amazing dad" and was "loving and ambitious" for his three children, she said."He would read them bedtime stories every night and left them with a love of reading, too."Even though we were separated, we still spent a lot of time together. He was a sweetheart."The inquest, which is expected to last three weeks, continues. Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Muhlenberg Class of 2025 move to next 'journey'
Michelle Burden, 17, said that from a young age that she wanted to be a soldier. 'I actually have a paper from when I was in kindergarten, I think, and I was in a little OCP (Operational Camouflage Pattern) dress. It's the uniform, but it was a dress. And it (the paper) said that when I grow up, I want to be 'an army' (soldier),' she said. Burden walked the line Friday night as a member of Muhlenberg County High School's (MCHS) class of 2025, and, she said, she's also taking one step closer to her kindergarten dream. 'I am so nervous,' Burden said. 'Next month I leave for basic training for the Army, so, I'm extra nervous because this means I'm pushing forward into a new journey.' Assistant Principal Jill Stewart said that this year's graduation is commemorated by changes and transitions for the students. 'This class is going to be the first ones to graduate from the consolidated high school. Students moved from what was East and West to here, and they are the first class who did all four years here,' Stewart explained. 'And then, of course, this is our principal, Ken Carver's, last year, and his daughter graduates, too. So, there's a lot of big moments or a lot of, you know, big things. Big changes.' The class of 2025's valedictorian Jacob Whitehouse also understands that changes are happening. The 18-year-old is planning to enroll at Murray State University in the fall to major in engineering and physics with the goal of becoming a professional engineer. He said he's thankful that his hard work in high school paid off and allowed him to become class valedictorian, and that he spent some great moments going to the state championship with the academic team his sophomore year. 'I was a little nervous at first (for graduation), but now that I'm here, I really just feel excited and ready for it,' Whitehouse said. Stewart provided some words of wisdom to the class of 2025 as they prepared for their next season of life. 'It's OK if you don't know what you want to do right now. You'll figure it out eventually,' Stewart said. 'For some of you, it will take a little longer, and some of you will automatically know what you want to do, but it's OK if you don't know, too.' She closed by offering her former students, who she describes as 'phenomenal' and 'talented,' one more valuable piece of advice. 'One thing I always tell kids is to stay home as long as you can with Mom and Dad to give you mental support, monetary support,' Stewart said.'Stay as long as you can because you always have time. You're going to grow up anyway. So, don't rush it. You're rushing to graduate, and then you're going to be like, oh my gosh! Now, what's next?'
Times
17-05-2025
- General
- Times
‘I spent £100,000 building my whale boat — but no one wants it'
Nine months ago an 82-year-old former soldier put his novelty boat on the market. Nobody is biting. Tom McClean built his 60-tonne steel whale with the dream of sailing across the Atlantic. Now all he wants to do is sell it. 'It is up for sale and we are assessing options. I want to keep some involvement as it has been a huge part of my life,' he said. 'I think it could be a symbol as iconic as the Angel of the North — a sort of Whale of the West.' • A salty swansong for the SAS veteran and Moby, his iron whale McClean joined the army at 17 and first sailed the Atlantic in 1969, aged 26. He made four subsequent solo
