Conviction of man who murdered two Irish soldiers in 1980
Long running trial over Lebanon killings
Reporter:
');
');
The Minister for Defence, Simon Coveney, has been notified of the conviction by a Lebanese Military Tribunal of the perpetrator of the murder of two Irish soldiers in Lebanon in 1980.
On April 18, 1980, Private Thomas Barrett and Private Derek Smallhorne were murdered and one soldier, Private John O’Mahony was seriously injured in the same incident in Lebanon. The personnel were serving as peacekeepers with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).
At the village of At-Tiri, a convoy, which included the three Irish soldiers, was stopped and all the personnel were taken prisoner by de-facto forces. The Defence Forces personnel were disarmed and separated from the rest of the group. Private O’Mahony was shot and seriously injured while Privates Barrett and Smallhorne were murdered.