'It was the best trip of the whole lot' - Congo vet

Congo veteran Des Connolly from Clonbrusk this week recalled his first trip to the African country at the tender age of 17 on the first ever deployment of an armed Irish peacekeeping force with the 32nd Battalion. Des, who served on four or five Congo missions, said of the first mission in 1960: "It was the best trip of the whole lot." After just one year in the army Des was one of 3,000 men who volunteered to serve on Ireland's first armed UN peacekeeping mission and within a week he was on his way to Africa. It took the battalion of 650 men four days to reach their destination and Des said this week that they had no idea at the time what they were going out to. Before they left Athlone in July 1960 the men received a great send off from the townspeople. "There were thousands seeing us off to the Congo. Even in Dublin they lined up the whole way out to Dublin Airport," he said. "You didn't know what to expect. We weren't long finding out," he said. "It wasn't too hostile. We used to do a lot of duties, train guards and we'd be travelling for two days at a time." Speaking about his impressions of the Congo, Des said: "The whole country was up in turmoil. It was a lovely country though, a beautiful place." He said their uniforms were very warm for the climate they were working in, but the equipment wasn't too bad for the time, although it could have been better. And while it may seem like a somewhat daunting task for a 17-year-old to be heading off into the unknown, Des said this week that there were a good few from Athlone so he knew many of the battalion. "It was great to see the scenery and the sites. There were a lot of animals too, like elephants, or if you went down to the water you'd see crocodiles. You wouldn't have seen them before," he said. Speaking about the locals and their reaction to the Irish, he said: "They were lovely people, grand, simple people. The women did all the hard work. You'd see the men going into town on a bike, a new bike, in the mornings and the women would be walking behind carrying big containers on their heads." The mission was for six months and Des explained that the postal system was good so the men could write home. Des enjoyed his time in the Congo and returned a number of times, also serving on the 1961 mission that involved the Siege of Jadotville. "Jadotville was a rough auld place," he said this week. "It was a bit hot out there, we were hemmed in." But even his experience in Jadotville didn't deter him from overseas service as Des served in Cyprus twice on top of his many trips to Congo. In total he served for 24 years in the army and was part of the engineering corp. Des served in Athlone, Dublin and the Curragh. However, even after leaving the army, Des was to return to Custume Barracks, this time working in the maintenance section as a civilian for 24 years. But even with extensive service at home and abroad, the memories of that first trip to the Congo are the ones Des cherishes the most. "Without a doubt the first trip was the best. I seen the whole Congo, it's a big country, a big place to see," he said. Des attended last Friday's ceremony in Baldonnel and enjoyed the day reliving his memories of the Congo with those in attendance.