Defence Minister due in Kilkenny city today

Minister for Defence Simon Coveney’s due in Kilkenny later this morning.

He’ll be accompanied by the Chief of Staff of the Irish Defence Forces, Lieutenant General Seán Clancy, to review the men and women of the 65th Infantry Group ahead of their departure for a six-month deployment to Syria.

130 troops will depart in April as part of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF).