The fiancée of Private Seán Rooney (24) has shared her heartache and pride for her beloved partner.
Peacekeeper Seán Rooney from Newtowncunningham was due to marry his Derry fiancée Holly McConnellogue next August. The young couple met in the city three years ago, three years to the day he died.
Pte Rooney took the opportunity of a second mission to Lebanon this year to save up for his wedding.
Ms McConnellogue told the Irish Times: “I’m absolutely heartbroken and it hasn’t sunk in yet that he’s gone, but I at least know that he died doing what he loved and serving his country”.
“We met three years ago yesterday, three years to the day he died. He was a fantastic person to be with,” Ms McConnellogue said.
She said her last conversation with Pte Rooney was hours before the attack. “He messaged me because we were supposed to FaceTime, but he said he had to drop a friend to the airport because he had a bereavement”.
Seán, Holly said, was one of the good ones who showed her what unconditional love is like.
Pte Rooney was driving in a convoy of two Irish peacekeeper vehicles to Beirut airport when his unit became separated and was ambushed. Their jeep came under fire in the village of Al-Aqbiyah which is under the control of the militant group Hezbollah.
It’s reported that an armed mob surrounded the jeep and Pte Rooney attempted to speed away to save his colleagues. Their vehicle was hit by several bullets and Pte Rooney received a bullet wound to the head.
Cavalry Trooper Shane Kearney (22) from Co Cork, suffered skull injuries when the jeep overturned.
The other two soldiers are being treated for minor injuries, an army statement said.
Private Rooney, from Newtowncunningham, was a specialist driver stationed in Dundalk. The soldier comes from a well-respected family with a long history of military service. His late father Cormac also served as a soldier in Dundalk and two of Private Rooney’s uncles and a great-uncle on his mother’s side currently serve in Aiken Barracks.
The UN has launched an investigation with assistance from the Lebanese armed forces to uncover how the soldiers’ jeep became separated from the convoy.
