Irish soldiers who came under fire by Syrian rebels during a tour of duty in the Golan Heights returned home in the early hours of this morning.
The 130 troops in the 44th Infantry Group were part of a peacekeeping mission to patrol the "area of separation" between Syria and Israel.
In August they were part of a successful UN mission to rescue 32 Filipino peacekeepers from a besieged outpost.
The troops were due to return home three weeks ago after a six-month tour of duty. The tour was extended due to a heightened security risk in the increasingly unstable Golan Heights region. They were moved to a more secure base in Israel.
Family and friends awaited their arrival at the Casement Aerodrome in Baldonnel, Co Dublin.
Among them were Des and Kathleen Lyons who were waiting for their daughter, Lieutenant Angela Lyons.
Mrs Lyons said she had seen a newspaper article about the UN rescue mission and recognised her daughter driving an armoured vehicle in the attached photo. This made her more anxious about having a daughter in the region. “I felt like I was in the trenches with them,” she said.
Mr Lyons said: “It’s a great relief to have them back safe. They were in a hostile place. Things can go wrong, but we were confident because they were well trained and well equipped.”
Lieutenant Lyons, who said she was delighted to get home after her first deployment, spoke of the rescue mission.
“It was well-planned, and it was really successful. It was done in the early hours of the morning. We went in, and it was very clear-cut. Everyone was brought out safely. I felt completely focused during the mission and then elated when we got back. I was delighted to see the Filipino soldiers safe.”
Company Sergeant John O’Neill waited for his daughter Private Sarah O’Neill (21), who was a baby during his own first tour of duty overseas.
Private O’Neill’s mother Denise said she kept a close eye on the news over the last few months. “But [Sarah]was always in contact over FaceTime or Skype, so we knew she was ok.”
Speaking near the throng of reunited families, Defence Minister Simon Coveney said: "Some of the risks Irish troops were exposed to in recent weeks are not what a peacekeeping mission should be about," adding that structural changes had been made to reduce the risk. "I'm satisfied those changes are the appropriate ones and that Ireland can remain part of what is a very important mission in the Middle East."
“The structural changes to the mission also mean this is an acceptable level of risk in terms of a very important peacekeeping mission that Ireland is really the backbone of.”
The minister said he was proud of the troops’ role, courage and professionalism.
The 46th Infantry Group, sent to replace the soldiers who came home today, arrived in Syria earlier this week.