Riot training for Army troops before they're sent to Lebanon

These are soldiers from the 53rd Infantry Group going through their final drills before being deployed to South Lebanon later this month.

Recent training in Co Kildare and Co Wicklow has seen the soldiers, under the command of Lt Col Stephen Ryan, focus their attention to fine-tuning their skill and drills in diverse areas like Mine Awareness, Signals, Medical Response and Anti-Ambush techniques.

The troops will have their Ministerial Review in Kilkenny Castle at 3pm tomorrow.

The robust pre-deployment training involves a series of demanding exercise scenarios to prepare for all of the eventualities they may face in a complex mission area.

Over the past two months the 190 men and women of the 53rd Infantry Group have gelled into one cohesive unit, focusing on preparing for their opportunity to maintain Ireland’s proud tradition in Lebanon.

Lebanon has seen 47 of Irish Army personnel pay the ultimate price in the cause of peace while on active service there.

Phototographs courtesy Irish Defence Forces.