A total of 200 Irish troops from the 124th Infantry Battalion arrived at Terminal 1 of Dublin Airport, drawn from different units across the Army and Air Corps.
Last month, a Unifil outpost on the Israel-Lebanon border in which some Irish troops were based was damaged during fighting between the Israel Defence Forces and Hezbollah.
The UN and several member states have repeatedly called on all parties to ensure the safety of peacekeepers.
Ireland is one of 48 countries contributing troops to Unifil.
Thankfully, no Irish soldiers were harmed, but consistent contact with families through WiFi was not always possible while the peacekeepers were caught in the crossfire between Hezbollah and the Israeli army, who had been firing at each other.
One woman, Nicole O’Flaherty from Clondalkin, who was with her extended family and her son Rían (3), dressed as an Irish peacekeeper, said that at the beginning of her partner Calvin Conway’s deployment, she felt “very on edge”.
“Everything was up in the air at times, but I had faith in Calvin and the Irish army that they’d get through it safely,” she said.
“They’re all so brave, and every one of them stuck it out even in the hard times. It’s been heartbreaking for the families in Lebanon and the families here at home when we couldn’t make contact.
Claire Doogue and her extended family waiting for her fiancée Paul
“There would be maybe 24 hours that would pass without hearing from him, and I’d be ringing the army just to get through to him, but thankfully they are all safe and home now.
“Having him home is an early Christmas present,” she added.
Mr Conway told the Irish Independent that he missed his son Rían a lot while he was away.
“It was my first time overseas as a mechanic,” he said.
“Everything was put into place to ensure we could regularly contact family under the amazing leadership that made sure everything went smoothly, even when things were going wrong.”
Cheers rang out and tears of elation streamed down faces as mothers embraced sons, fathers held their daughters, and loved ones exchanged long-awaited kisses.
It was scary when it started to get really bad over there
The troops spent six months as part of a Unifil mission in southern Lebanon as tensions in the Middle East heightened, with Israeli attacks on Lebanon and Iran, and Hezbollah attacks on Israel.
In October, Camp Shamrock, made up of UN peacekeepers, was struck by a rocket amid escalating tensions between Israel and Hezbollah, with much of the Irish troops’ time thereafter spent locked down in bunkers.
The increased tensions led to reduced access to food and water supplies for the Irish peacekeepers, who were forced to wash with bottled water and eat ration packs for extended periods.
Leah Curran from Carlow was also waiting anxiously for her partner Adam Maher, along with her mother-in-law, sister-in-law and son Charlie.
“It was scary when it started to get really bad over there,” she said.
It’s been really tough and very different from the previous tours he’s been on
She added that they are really looking forward to Christmas and getting home to get a Chinese takeaway tonight.
Also waiting patiently in the arrivals hall was Clare Agnew for her husband Padraic.
“The relief is indescribable; I can’t believe it. I thought we’d never get him home,” she said.
“Sometimes it would be two to three days before I heard from him and it hasn’t been nice.”
Padraic said he was “delighted” to be home and couldn’t wait to spend time with his wife and have a pint of Guinness.
He had been away for nearly seven months after being deployed to Lebanon at the beginning of May; this was his second overseas tour after nearly eight years with the Defence Forces.
Holding a large “welcome home” sign was Shannon Dooge, who was waiting for her fiance Paul Byrne, who had been away since August.
“We’re getting married next year, so he went and did this to help pay for our wedding,” she said.
“There were times when they had no WiFi, which was nerve-wracking, but once I heard from him, I was put at ease,” she said.
“The first half of the trip was better than the second half.
“With everything that’s been going on, it’s been really tough and very different from the previous tours he’s been on.
“He had leave to take, but wasn’t able to come back home because it was too dangerous to travel,” she added.
In southern Lebanon, peacekeepers are engaged in a mission to monitor the demarcation line with Israel, a region that has faced over a year of conflict between Israeli forces and Hezbollah.
Recently, an attack resulted in injuries to four Italian peacekeepers when two 122-mm rockets struck the Sector West Headquarters in Shama. Unifil attributes this assault to Hezbollah.
Moreover, damage has been reported at Unifil facilities, which the organisation claims is the result of actions by the Israeli military.
However, Israel has dismissed allegations of deliberate attacks, asserting that UN troops have inadvertently acted as a human shield for Hezbollah fighters.
Given the rising tensions, Israel has recommended that Unifil evacuate its personnel from the area for their own safety. In response, Unifil has denounced any assaults on peacekeepers as a “flagrant violation of international law” and a breach of Resolution 1701, which is central to its mandate.
Unifil has called for an immediate end to the troubling trend of regular attacks – whether direct or indirect – against its personnel.
