Private Seán Rooney remembered on first anniversary of his death

Kenneth Fox

Thursday marks the first anniversary of the death of Private Seán Rooney in Lebanon.

The 24-year-old was killed during an attack on UN peacekeeping soldiers.

Private Rooney, a Dundalk native, was described as a "national hero" at his funeral.

A charity football match with his friends and army comrades was held at Oriel Park last weekend.

The Sean Rooney Memorial Cup will take place at Oriel Park at 3pm on Saturday.

This match will see Rooney’s XI, a friends and family team, take on an Army Select team. It will be followed by a function afterwards.

All are welcome to celebrate Sean’s memory. pic.twitter.com/sweKvVEtdc

— Dundalk FC (@DundalkFC) December 8, 2023

In November, Lebanon’s military tribunal released a man accused of killing an Irish United Nations peacekeeper on bail, security and judicial officials said.

The development comes as Unifil, the UN’s peacekeeping mission in Lebanon, monitors ongoing clashes along the border between Hezbollah militants and Israeli troops.

Lebanon’s military tribunal in June charged Mohamad Ayyad and four others with the killing of Private Seán Rooney (24), of Newtowncunningham in Co Donegal, following a half-year probe.

He was killed on December 14th, 2022. Ayyad was detained in December 2022.

The four others facing charges – Ali Khalifeh, Ali Salman, Hussein Salman, and Mustafa Salman – remain at large. All five are allegedly linked with Hezbollah.

Hezbollah has repeatedly denied any role in the killing. Hezbollah representatives did not respond to requests for comment on Wednesday.

Unifil spokesperson Andrea Tenenti said he was aware of reports about Ayyad’s release due to his “deteriorating health” and that Unifil is “working to confirm this information with the military court”.

“The Government of Lebanon has on several occasions stated its commitment to bring the perpetrators to justice,” Mr Tenenti told the Associated Press. Last June, Mr Tenenti said the indictment was an “important step towards justice”.

“We continue to urge that all perpetrators be held accountable, and for justice for Private Rooney and his family,” he said.