Ireland, the United Nations and the Congo, a Military and Diplomatic History, 1960 –1961
Published by Four Courts, written Dr Michael Kennedy and Comdt Art Magennis DSM (Rtd), “Ireland, the United Nations and the Congo” will be launched by Lieutenant-General Sean McCann DSM (Retd) on 3 June 2014, in the DFHQ Officers’ Mess, McKee Barracks, Dublin at 1800hrs.
Commissioned by The Military Heritage of Ireland Trust, and also published by Four Courts in 2004 “A Guide to Irish Military Heritage” edited by Brian Hanley, is designed to assist those doing research into aspects of the Irish Soldier.
Based on a first-hand account of the operational environment by an Irish Cavalry officer, previously unseen United Nations archives, and the papers of United Nations Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjold, “Ireland, the United Nations and the Congo” covers eighteen critical months from July 1960 to December 1961, which brought the realities of United Nations membership to Ireland. A military and diplomatic history, this book is an Irish perspective on a defining moment in the history of the United Nations, the Cold War and modern Africa.
Dr Michael Kennedy is the executive editor of the Royal Irish Academy’s Documents on Irish Foreign Policy series. He has published widely on modern Irish diplomatic and military history. Commandant Art Magennis DSM (Retd) served with the Irish Defence Forces from 1940 to 1979. He undertook two tours of duty in the Congo and was second-in-command of the 35th Infantry Battalion’s Armoured Car Group in Elisabethville, Katanga, in 1961.
