An inquest into the death of Private Seán Rooney has opened in Dublin today.
The 24 year old from Newtowncunningham, Co Donegal was killed when the convoy he was travelling in came under fire in Lebanon on December 14th 2022.
A lawyer for Private Rooney’s family says the inquest should address the “noxious narrative” that he had taken a wrong turn before the fatal incident.
At a brief sitting of Dublin District Coroner’s Court today, solicitor Darragh Macken, questioned how a 24 year old with no UN driving licence had been allowed to be 13km to 16km from his convoy on a route not taken before. He said there were also questions about the vehicles being used.
He called on the UN to cooperate with the investigation into Private Rooney’s death being conducted by the coroner, Myra Cullinane.
An initial on the ground report has been carried out by UNIFIL following the incident.
However, there was uncertainty about whether that report could be made available to a public inquiry.
RTE News reports that the coroner confirmed Gardaí had also carried out a significant investigation into Private Rooney’s death as part of the inquest.
The inquest has been adjourned for further mention to September 20th.
