A CEREMONY TO commemorate the Irish men and women who lost their lives while serving with the United Nations on peacekeeping duties is to be held in Dublin next month.

The National Day of Commemoration ceremony is being held at the National Museum of Ireland, Collins Barracks at 10.30am on 8 July.

During the ceremony, President Michael D Higgins will lay a wreath on behalf of the people of Ireland. The event is open to the public and the Taoiseach and members of the Defence Forces are expected to attend.

Commemorative events will also be held simultaneously in Sligo, Kilkenny, Galway, Cork, Limerick and Waterford, with each relevant local authority being notified of the venue and participants closer to the event.

Members of Ireland’s Defence Forces have participated in UN missions since 1958 and the first major deployment of Irish troops to peacekeeping operations was with the United Nations Operation in the Congo in 1960.

To date, 86 Defence Forces members have died while serving on peacekeeping missions; currently, 436 personnel are serving overseas across 16 missions.