Defence Forces personnel serving as peacekeepers in Lebanon marked the end of their year-long mission with a special ceremony at Camp Ida in Tibnin at the weekend.
The standing down ceremony commemorated the 47 Irish soldiers who have died during Defence Forces involvement in UN peacekeeping operations in Lebanon since 1978.
The 160 soldiers, mainly from Dublin and Dundalk and serving with the 2nd Eastern Brigade, will leave Lebanon on November 1st.
They served in an Irish-Finnish engineer battalion, where the Irish troops provided security and protection for Finnish soldiers involved in de-mining and reconstruction.
The contingent was preparing to leave Lebanon as other Defence Forces personnel began to arrive in Chad as part of a 3,000-strong EU mission backed by the UN, which aims to protect refugees near the Sudanese border who have fled the conflict in Darfur.
Some 350 Irish soldiers will serve in Chad. Minister for Defence Willie O'Dea said it could be the most expensive mission yet for Ireland as serving countries do not recoup their costs, unlike in UN missions.
Mr O'Dea paid tribute to the soldiers who had served in Lebanon and said those who died had "paid the ultimate sacrifice bringing peace and stability to others".
