A Cork soldier who was seriously injured in a shooting incident in Lebanon which claimed the life of his colleague, is returning to Dublin to undergo surgery.

Trooper Shane Kearney is returning to Beaumont Hospital today, Wednesday April 26, to continue with his medical treatment, confirmed a spokesperson for the Defences Forces.

Mr Kearney “will undergo cranioplasty surgery which should hopefully be the final operation that he requires.

“Shane has been recovering at home in Cork for the past two months and has been making steady progress to date.

“All of Shane's colleagues in the Defence Forces are thinking of him at this time and are wishing him a speedy recovery,” added the spokesperson.

Mr Kearney, from Killeagh, was seriously wounded when the armoured UN vehicle in which he was travelling was surrounded by a group of attackers in Lebanon in December.

Private Seán Rooney, 24, was killed, and Mr Kearney, 22, was medically evacuated from Lebanon to Ireland, where he received treatment at Beaumont Hospital in Dublin.

In February, Trooper Kearney was discharged from Beaumont Hospital, to continue his recovery at home in Cork.