WATCH: Galway soldier prepares for first overseas peacekeeping mission in Lebanon

Corporal Leah Dolan is among almost 300 members of the Defence Forces completing their final preparations ahead of the deployment in November, as Ireland's decades-long contribution to the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) approaches a potential end.

For Corporal Dolan, the upcoming mission will be a new experience, bringing the opportunity to put her training into practice while taking on the challenges of serving overseas.

“I am excited to go over, it is a brand new experience for me, it should be very interesting,” she said.

The 69th Infantry Group is currently undertaking its Mission Readiness Exercise in the Glen of Imaal, Co Wicklow, where personnel are being put through demanding scenarios designed to prepare them for the conditions they could encounter in southern Lebanon.

Corporal Dolan said the preparations have been intense, with soldiers developing new skills and completing additional courses ahead of their deployment.

“I know we are going to be very busy when we go over we will have a lot to do when we go over there, the training has been intense. A lot of new courses, new skills learned as well before going over,” she said.

The deployment will see the 69th Infantry Group take over duties from the 128th Infantry Battalion, which deployed in May 2026, continuing Ireland's contribution to the international peacekeeping mission that began in 1978.

While the soldiers are focused on ensuring they are ready for the responsibilities ahead, the upcoming mission is also a significant moment for their families.

Corporal Dolan said her family have some understandable concerns about her travelling to the region, but they are reassured by the training and preparation undertaken by the troops.

“They are a little bit nervous but they know that we are skilled and operationally ready to go over,” she said.

For Corporal Dolan, a career in the Defence Forces also has a personal connection, with military service forming part of her family's history.

She revealed that relatives had previously served in the Defence Forces, while her grandmother's upbringing in the Curragh helped spark her own interest in joining.

“I did have family that served in the Defence Forces, my grandmother also grew up in the Curragh so that was an interest for me to join also,” she said.

Now, as she prepares for her first experience of serving in Lebanon, Corporal Dolan is following a path that has already been part of her family's story.

Her deployment also comes at a particularly significant time for Irish peacekeeping, with the current UNIFIL mandate scheduled to end on December 31 and a subsequent drawdown and withdrawal of forces expected during 2027.

Since the mission began in 1978, more than 30,000 Irish troops have served in Lebanon, establishing longstanding connections with communities in the south of the country.

For generations of Irish soldiers, the mission has been a defining part of their service. The prospect of its conclusion adds an extra layer of significance to the upcoming deployment for both experienced personnel and those heading overseas for the first time.

The wider mission also carries the memory of the 48 members of the Defence Forces who lost their lives while serving with UNIFIL. Lieutenant Colonel Cormac Brady, who will lead the 69th Infantry Group, has emphasised the importance of remembering those who did not return and recognising the lasting impact of their loss on families, friends and colleagues.

The latest contingent is made up primarily of personnel from the Defence Forces' Second Brigade area, with Dundalk's Aiken Barracks, home to the 27th Infantry Battalion, serving as the lead unit.

Training in the Glen of Imaal includes live firing, simulated mortar attacks, casualty evacuations, ambushes and patrols. The exercises are designed to test operational readiness and help ensure that personnel are equipped to respond to the challenges they may face overseas.

For Corporal Dolan, the focus now remains on completing that preparation and making the most of the opportunity ahead.

Excited about the experience and conscious of the responsibilities involved, she will join her fellow soldiers in carrying forward Ireland's peacekeeping tradition as the 69th Infantry Group prepares to depart for Lebanon in November.