Michael Lynch, MMG (24 April 1942 – 24 October 2008) was an Irish Army commandant,

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

military observer, and a recipient of the

Military Medal for Gallantry The Military Medal For Gallantry (MMG) ( ga, An Bonn Míleata Calmachta) is a military decoration awarded by the Government of Ireland. It is the highest award of the military awards and decorations of Ireland. History Created in 1944, the Mil ...

, the highest military decoration of Ireland.

Early life

Lynch was born in

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

on 24 April 1942, the son of

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

Thomas Lynch. He was educated at Newbridge College in

County Kildare County Kildare ( ga, Contae Chill Dara) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Leinster and is part of the Eastern and Midland Region. It is named after the town of Kildare. Kildare County Council is the local authority for the county, ...

and attended

Trinity College, Dublin , name_Latin = Collegium Sanctae et Individuae Trinitatis Reginae Elizabethae juxta Dublin , motto = ''Perpetuis futuris temporibus duraturam'' (Latin) , motto_lang = la , motto_English = It will last i ...

for a year before enlisting as a cadet at the

Military College A military academy or service academy is an educational institution which prepares candidates for service in the officer corps. It normally provides education in a military environment, the exact definition depending on the country concerned. ...

in the Curragh Camp. He was commissioned as an officer in 1962 and assigned to the 2nd Infantry Battalion.

Military career

In 1965, Lynch began his overseas service with the

Defence Forces The phrase Defence Force(s) (or Defense Force(s) in US English - see spelling differences) is in the title of the armed forces of certain countries and territories. Defence forces * Ambazonia Defence Forces *Artsakh Defence Army * Australian Defen ...

as part of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP). He served in the

Sinai Peninsula The Sinai Peninsula, or simply Sinai (now usually ) (, , cop, Ⲥⲓⲛⲁ), is a peninsula in Egypt, and the only part of the country located in Asia. It is between the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Red Sea to the south, and is a l ...

in 1974, the desert between Egypt and Israel, as part of the UN force that supervised the ceasefire that saw the end of the

Yom Kippur War The Yom Kippur War, also known as the Ramadan War, the October War, the 1973 Arab–Israeli War, or the Fourth Arab–Israeli War, was an armed conflict fought from October 6 to 25, 1973 between Israel and a coalition of Arab states led by Egy ...

. In 1980, and already with significant overseas experience, Lynch began a tour of duty as a United Nations Military Observer in the Middle East. This tour took place against the backdrop of a civil war in Lebanon and in September 1982 Lynch was one of the first witnesses at the scene of the Sabra and Shatila massacre in

Beirut Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint o ...

. Lynch is one of only six recipients of the Military Medal for Gallantry with Distinction, which was awarded after he recovered the bodies of UN colleagues who had driven into a minefield. Among the four UN observers killed was fellow Irish soldier, Commandant Michael Nestor from Newbridge. Lynch's citation reads: Lynch took leave of the army in 1998, holding the rank of Camp Commandant, Clancy Barracks, Dublin.

Personal and later life

Michael Lynch was married to Áine and the couple had a daughter and three sons. He had a long rugby career, starting with schools rugby at Newbridge College before going on to play as

prop A prop, formally known as (theatrical) property, is an object used on stage or screen by actors during a performance or screen production. In practical terms, a prop is considered to be anything movable or portable on a stage or a set, distinct ...

with

North Kildare RFC North Kildare RFC is an Irish rugby team based between Maynooth and Kilcock, County Kildare. It is part of thNorth Kildare Club which also includecricket County Carlow Football Club County Carlow Football Club is a rugby club in Carlow, County Carlow, Ireland, playing in Division 1B of the Leinster League. The club was founded in October 1873, and is one of the oldest rugby clubs in Ireland. As was usual in the days precedi ...

and

Lansdowne Football Club Lansdowne Football Club, also sometimes referred to as Lansdowne Rugby Football Club, is a rugby union team based in Dublin, Ireland. It was founded in 1872 by Henry Dunlop as the ''Irish Champion Athletic Club''. Its senior team currently plays ...

. He captained

Monkstown Football Club Monkstown Football Club is an Irish rugby club based in Dublin, playing in Division 1A of the Leinster League. In addition to the First XV, they also have Second (J2), Third (J3) and Fourth (J4) XV's, a mini rugby section and a Golden Oldies t ...

to victory in the 1980 O'Connor Cup. Upon retirement from the Defence Forces, Lynch ran the Orwell Lodge Hotel in Rathgar, Dublin for eight years before selling the hotel and established the ''El Comandante'' wine label in Mendoza, Argentina, in 2005. Lynch became ill and died on 24 October 2008, aged 66.

Decorations

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lynch, Michael 1942 births 2008 deaths Irish Army officers Military personnel from Dublin (city) United Nations Military Observers (people) People educated at Newbridge College Alumni of Trinity College Dublin Irish rugby union players Irish emigrants to Argentina Irish officials of the United Nations