Westmeath native to give series of Jadotville talks in US

The son of Commandant Pat Quinlan, who led the Irish troops in Jadotville in 1961, is preparing to give a series of talks in the United States about the siege.

Leo Quinlan, an Athlone native who is a retired commandant, will be giving the talks after screenings of the Netflix film 'Siege at Jadotville' over four nights this week, on October 25, 27, 28 and 29.

The events are at Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, having been organised through the US Army War College, which is based nearby.

Last month, Mr Quinlan gave a talk on Jadotville in Athlone on a weekend when a memorial was unveiled in Assumption Road in honour of local men who served during the turbulent events in the Congo just over 60 years ago.

Mr Quinlan said that the upcoming Jadotville talks in the US were based around the theme of moral injury.

"Moral injury occurs when soldiers suffer some traumatic experience and are then betrayed by higher authority... it's kind of an injury of the soul," he said.

He said the organisers of the film screenings and talks in Pennsylvania had identified Jadotville as "a perfect example of collective moral injury".

Promotional material for the talks outlines how, following the 'Siege at Jadotville' screenings, there would be a panel discussion led by Mr Quinlan and Wollom (Wally) Jensen, a Vietnam War veteran and retired Navy chaplain.

The discussion is due to focus on "the nature of moral injury, the causes and effects of moral injury, and some of the ongoing issues faced by the families and friends of those Irish soldiers who were part of 'A' Company, as well as US servicemen and women who served in the longest war in US history (Afghanistan)."

Mr Quinlan added that the talks in the US would be filmed as part of an upcoming documentary about Jadotville being made by his sons Ronnie, a filmmaker, and Conor, an actor and scriptwriter.

He said the documentary would be offered to a broadcaster or streaming service when it is completed.