The Niemba Ambush

Irish military history is a topic hundreds of years in the making, ranging from service under the old Gaelic lords to "Wild Geese" regiments raised throughout Europe and, of course, an entwined history with the British Army. Much of this came to an end with the emergence of the Irish Free State, and later Republic of Ireland. Ever eager to prove ourselves on the world stage, it was only natural that Irish peacekeepers would be sent to the Congo as part of the UN - but disaster was lurking. Join Conor this week as he takes us through the devastating ambush on Irish peacekeepers in the Congo and explains the lack of care gone into the planning of the mission that led to the ambush, the lack of quality equipment, and our thoughts on one of the first deployments of Irish troops since the creation of the new state. This episode was presented by Conor Daly and joined by Arron Keegan and Hayley O'Connor. The intro and outro music - Strollin' Along - was recorded by David Renda.