Medals for Jadotville soldiers?

The Government will be asked to award military medals to soldiers who fought during the siege of Jadotville.

It comes after a motion from Independent councillor Thomas Moloney was passed during this week’s Cork City Council meeting with several councillors speaking up in support of awarding military medals to the soldiers.

Cllr Moloney said these medals would be for “gallantry”.

He added: “The distinguished service medals (would be for) the Irish soldiers who fought at Jadotville in the province of Katanga as part of a UN contingent during the Congo crisis in 1961.

“These medals were never awarded even though they were recommended by their commanding officer.”

He added: “There are only seven of these men alive now. Hopefully the Government will see fit to pass it too and we can award these seven men who are alive and the families of others who are not.”

Workers’ Party councillor Ted Tynan seconded the motion while Fine Gael’s Damian Boylan also supported it described the men as “heroic”.

He added: “The way they were treated when they came home should be a source of shame for this country by both the government and the Defence Forces at the time. They were vilified and called cowards and now is the time to make it right.”

Fianna Fáil councillor Colm Kelleher said he was in support of the motion too and also said that the soldiers were “mistreated by the State. I 100 per cent support this motion.”