'Irish soldiers departing for the Congo': An image from the Jadotville 60th anniversary exhibition at militaryarchives.ie

Online exhibition unveiled on 60th anniversary of Jadotvillle battle

It's 60 years this week since the battle of Jadotville, in which 156 Irish peacekeeping troops, many of whom were from Athlone and other parts of the Midlands, came under attack in the Congo.

To mark the anniversary, the Military Archives currently has an online exhibition focusing on the battle and its immediate aftermath.

You can view the exhibition here.

The battle of Jadotville saw a large force of Katangese Gendarmerie surround the troops of 'A' Company, 35th Infantry Battalion, on September 9, 1961.

The Irish contingent would come under almost continuous attack from September 13 to 17.

They were then taken into captivity on September 17, before being released more than a month later, on October 25, 1961.

The fact that many of the veterans were from the Midlands led to Athlone's Custume Barracks being chosen as the site for both the memorial plaque to the men of 'A' Company, unveiled in 2005, and the presentation of An Bonn Jadotville, the Jadotville medal, which was awarded to the veterans and their families, in 2017.

A Netflix film about the battle, The Siege of Jadotville, starring Jamie Dornan, was released in 2016.