Blood, Sweat and Tears: An Irish Soldier's Story of Love and Loss

The Irish Army has been on active duty in Lebanon on an almost continuous basis since the mid-1970s. Over forty years, 40,000 soldiers have served tours of duty in Lebanon. Forty-seven Irish soldiers died there and many hundreds more have suffered serious physical – and psychological – injuries in Lebanon. Of the tens of thousands of Irish troops who served in Lebanon, all were touched in one way or another by the people of Lebanon and Israel.

Blood, Sweat and Tears tells the true story of the Irish at war. It chronicles a tour of duty in Lebanon from 1995 to 1996, culminating in the massacre of 118 innocent men, women and children in the village of Qana, South Lebanon, on 18 April 1996. For the first time, the experiences of Irish troops are told in the vernacular of the Irish soldier, warts and all.

The book is an unvarnished account of loss of innocence on the part of one young officer; it is also a story which deals with personal loss, loneliness and the psychological trauma of military service in a time of war. As the narrator comes to terms with the slaughter of innocents around him, he will ultimately be confronted with the loss of those closest to him at home in Ireland.

The author is former Irish Army Officer who commanded troops during some of the most controversial tours and was part of RTÉ’s 1997 ‘Whistleblowers’ series for his role in exposing bullying and sexual harassment within the army.