Pat Quinlan (Irish Army officer)

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Pat Quinlan
Patrick Quinlan at Jadotville, in September 1961, three days before the siege.
Born30 December 1919[citation needed]
Reeneragh, Caherdaniel, County Kerry
Died27 August 1997(1997-08-27) (aged 77)
Allegiance Republic of Ireland
Service/branch Irish Army
Years of service1937–1977
Rank Colonel
Commands held"A" Company, 35th Battalion
Battles/warsCongo Crisis
Awards
Spouse(s)Carmel Quinlan
Children2

Patrick Quinlan (1919–1997) was an

UN force that fought at the Siege of Jadotville in Katanga
in 1961, and surrendered when they ran out of ammunition and other supplies. Despite the initial lack of recognition for the events leading up to the surrender, in the years following Quinlan's death his reputation in Ireland was restored.[1][2]

Early life and family

Pat Quinlan was born in 1919 in Reeneragh, Caherdaniel, County Kerry,[3][1] and went to school in nearby Loher.[3] He and his wife Carmel had a son Leo, who was 16 when his father served in the Congo, and later became a commandant, the same rank his father held when in Katanga (although the father retired with the higher rank of colonel).[3][4]

Siege of Jadotville

Main article: Siege of Jadotville

The Siege of Jadotville took place in September 1961, during the United Nations intervention in the Katanga conflict in Congo-Léopoldville, in Central Africa.

"A" Company, 35th Battalion (UN service) of the

company was besieged in Jadotville
(modern Likasi), and resisted Katangese assaults for six days. A relief force of Irish, Indian and Swedish troops was unsuccessful in their attempts to reach Quinlan's position.

Quinlan's company suffered five wounded in action during the six day siege. On the other hand, up to 300 Katangese troops were killed, including 30 mercenaries, and an indeterminate number were wounded, with figures ranging from 300 to 1,000. Quinlan, however, had no access to resupply and reinforcements and, with his transport destroyed by Katanga's

Fouga Magister jet, a breakout was virtually impossible. In the end, with his position untenable, without any clear orders or promise of assistance, having run out of ammunition and food and low on water, Quinlan accepted a second offer to surrender to the Katangese.[5]

Although suffering no loss of life, Quinlan's company were held as

prisoners of war and hostages for approximately one month. The Katangese bartered the Irish soldiers for prisoners in the custody of the Congolese government. After being released, "A" Company were returned to their base in Elizabethville. Some weeks later, Quinlan found himself involved in active combat again,[6] this time with his company in support of Swedish UN troops. Eventually they were reinforced with fresh troops from Ireland. After weeks of fighting and their six-month tour of duty now complete, "A" Company was rotated home to Ireland that December.[7]

In its immediate aftermath, the Irish state did not give much recognition to the battle of Jadotville, and no Irish soldier received any decoration for actions at Jadotville. This may have been because of a perceived shame that "A" Company had surrendered and an unwillingness to highlight political or strategic errors at higher levels by the UN mission.[8] Commandant Quinlan however recommended a number of his men for the Military Medal for Gallantry (MMG), Ireland's highest award for military valour, for their actions during the battle.

Quinlan never served overseas again, and retired as a full colonel after 40 years with the Irish Army.[4]

Death

Colonel Patrick Quinlan died on 27 August 1997, unaware that his reputation would be restored nine years after his death.[2] His wife Carmel did not live to see his official rehabilitation either, dying two years after he did.[3]

Recognition sought

The veterans of Jadotville were dissatisfied with the Irish Defence Forces' refusal to acknowledge the battle and the implied black mark on the reputation of their commander.[2] Following a long campaign for recognition, in 2004 the then Minister for Defence, Willie O'Dea, agreed to hold a review of the battle. An inquiry by the Defence Forces cleared Quinlan and "A" Company of allegations of soldierly misconduct. A commemorative stone recognising the soldiers of "A" Company was erected on the grounds of Custume Barracks in Athlone in 2005. A commissioned portrait of Quinlan was installed in the Congo Room of the Irish Defence Forces' UN School.[9]

In 2016, the Irish government awarded a Presidential Unit Citation to "A" Company, the first in the State's history.[10][11] In October 2017 a plaque commemorating Quinlan, who was from County Kerry, was unveiled by former Taoiseach Enda Kenny at Coomakista Pass, County Kerry.[1][3]

In November 2020, an Independent Review Group commissioned by Irish Defence Minister Simon Coveney recommended that Quinlan receive the Distinguished Service Medal (DSM).[12]

Quinlan's tactics at Jadotville influenced subsequent training programmes,[13] and were, according to RTÉ, "cited in military textbooks worldwide as the best example of the use of the so-called perimeter defence".[1]

In popular culture

Quinlan is played by Jamie Dornan in the film The Siege of Jadotville (2016),[14] which was adapted from Declan Power's book, The Siege at Jadotville: The Irish Army's Forgotten Battle (2005).[15] His wife Carmel is played by Fiona Glascott.[16] Colonel Quinlan's son, Commandant Leo Quinlan, has said that Dornan bears an uncanny resemblance to his father, and got everything about him right except his County Kerry accent, which was so strong that "if he had done my father's accent, you'd need subtitles."[3] Colonel Quinlan's grandson Conor was a member of the film's cast.[17]

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Former Taoiseach unveils plaque honouring Jadotville commandant". RTE. 28 October 2017. Retrieved 30 October 2017. Commandant Quinlan's action is cited in military textbooks worldwide as the best example of the use of the so-called perimeter defence.
  2. ^ a b c Carney, Jim (22 December 2010). "From Galway to the Congo — into the Heart of Darkness – Part 2". The Tuam Herald. Archived from the original on 5 October 2011. Retrieved 6 January 2012. They should all have been hailed as heroes; Ireland knows that now, but it was a long, slow, painful road to redemption, and vindication, especially for the brave, fearless Patrick Quinlan who went to his grave, in 1997, not knowing that he would gain posthumous recognition, with full honour restored, nine years later.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Majella O'Sullivan (29 October 2017). "Jadotville hero is honoured on the Ring of Kerry". Irish Independent. Retrieved 30 October 2017.
  4. ^ a b Tadhg Evans (28 October 2017). "Caherdaniel pays tribute to famous son Pat Quinlan". The Kerryman. Retrieved 30 October 2017. Later retiring as a Colonel after more than 40 years' service to the Irish Army, the Caherdaniel native passed away in 1997
  5. ^ "Brave Vets Medal Shame; Jungle fighters honoured.. with award they had to pay for themselves". Sunday Mirror. 5 May 2002.
  6. ISBN 9781504758888
    . Quinlan's men were to find themselves in combat again, literally days before they boarded the Globemasters to go home. This time it was on the night of December 12, when the Katangese set up a roadblock near the Soco petrol depot
  7. ^ "The True Story of the Heroic Battle That Inspired the New Netflix Film The Siege of Jadotville". TIME. 27 July 2016. probably with the aim of taking the Irish as prisoners and using them as leverage in negotiations with the U.N.
  8. ^ Whelan, Michael (2006). "The Battle of Jadotville – Irish Soldiers in Combat in the Congo 1961" (PDF). South Dublin Libraries. Retrieved 11 September 2016.
  9. ^ Sweeney, Eamon (5 August 2016). "The Siege of Jadotville: How the bravery of Irish UN soldiers was shunned". Derry Journal. Retrieved 9 October 2016.
  10. ^ "Soldiers recognised for Jadotville bravery". RTÉ News. 17 September 2016. Retrieved 17 September 2016.
  11. ^ "Jadotville ceremony rights a "grievous wrong"". Westmeath Examiner. 17 September 2016. Archived from the original on 18 September 2016. Retrieved 17 September 2016. This is the first time that a Unit Citation has been awarded within the Irish Defence Forces
  12. ^ O’Riordan, Sean (26 August 2021). "Senator seeking judicial review of Jadotville findings over bravery awards". Irish Examiner. Archived from the original on 26 August 2021. Retrieved 24 August 2022.
  13. ^ "'We literally would all have died in Jadotville but for him' (Unveiling of memorial to Pat Quinlan)". Irish Times. 29 October 2017. Retrieved 3 November 2017. Brigadier General Patrick Flynn, GOC 1 Brigade paid tribute to Col. Quinlan, saying his decision to dig in at Jadotville had become part of the Army's training on tactics [and] was also taught in military courses in the UK, Germany and Australia
  14. ^ "28th Galway Film Fleadh – July 2016 – The Siege of Jadotville". Galwayfilmfleadh.com. Retrieved 11 September 2016.
  15. ISBN 0-9548707-1-9
    .
  16. ^ "The Siege of Jadotville (2016)". IMDb. Retrieved 30 October 2017.
  17. ^ "Jamie Dornan pleased to spread the word about Irish bravery in The Siege of Jadotville". Irish Examiner. 5 October 2016. Retrieved 3 November 2017.

Further reading

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