Galway Bay fm newsroom - A Galway native who fought at the Seige of Jadotville, and who was honoured for his bravery last September, has died at the age of 85.
Walter Hegarty, who lived at Dun na Mara drive in Renmore was among a group of 156 Irish UN peacekeepers which was sent to the Congo in September of 1961.
Armed only with small arms, WWI machine guns, and a few mortars, they used textbook tactics to hold out for five days against 3,000 fighters equipped with modern weapons and a ground-attack jet.
Last September, Walter Hegarty was among a group of soldiers from the Irish battalion who were honoured for their bravery at a special event in Athlone.
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It had been widely recognised that their contribution had been overlooked for many years.
