On Monday the 25th of May, United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon visited the Curragh Camp where he met with the Minister for Defence Mr Simon Coveney T.D and the Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Conor O'Boyle, received a Guard of Honour from the 91st Cadet Class accompanied by the Army No 1 Band, as well as briefs from United Nations Training School, Military College and Ordnance School instructors.
In advance of his visit to Ireland to receive the Tipperary International Peace Prize, Ban Ki Moon penned an opinion piece for The Irish Times in which he drew correlations between the dreadful famine experienced by the Irish people over 160 years ago and their commitment to International peace in the modern day, from the first major deployment to the Congo, to the courage shown by sending peacekeepers to the Middle East and a Naval vessel to the Mediterranean amidst palpable dangers in both. "Ireland’s history with the United Nations shows a country that does not shy away from risk or difficulty. As we celebrate the 70th anniversary of the United Nations and look back at our achievements and setbacks, we can look to future with some confidence knowing that the people of Ireland are so strongly committed to upholding the Organisation’s values of peace and security, development and human rights in every corner of the world."
