An Irish man who enlisted to fight in Ukraine in March has been “killed in action” his family confirmed on Wednesday.
Rory Mason, 23, from Dunboyne in Co Meath, died on Sept. 28 while fighting in Kharkiv in the International Legion for the Defence of Ukraine.
The legion said Mason was “killed in action” after his unit came under attack during counter-offensive operations.
It also said they are in contact with Mason’s family and are handling the repatriation process following the family’s “wishes and instructions.”
“Rory’s memory will live on in his unit, in the Legion, and the Armed Forces of Ukraine,” the statement reads.
Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs is providing consular assistance for the family.
Mason is survived by his parents Rob and Elizabeth and a 22-year-old brother and 21-year-old sister.
Rob said the family is “deeply saddened” by Mason’s death and is “enormously proud of his courage and determination and his selflessness in immediately enlisting to support Ukraine.”
Describing Mason as a “private young man of drive, purpose, and conviction,” Rob said his son had never been political but had “a deep sense of right and wrong and an inability to turn the other way in the face of injustice” as well as “a long-standing interest in Eastern Europe, in travel, and in learning new languages, including Russian.”
“Those who fought alongside Rory speak of a truly brave and courageous man who could have left at any time but chose not to,” Rob said.
“In the words of a colleague who served with him, ‘Rory was a man who from a glance could seem shy however when it came to actions and character he proved again and again he was a man of fortitude, principal, and honour,’” he added.
Rob said the family will miss Mason “enormously,” and appealed for privacy at this difficult time.
Taoiseach Micheal Martin said the death of the 23 year old was “very, very sad.”
Speaking at government buildings in Dublin alongside the Environment Minister Eamon Ryan and Tanaiste Leo Varadkar, Martin said, “Our thoughts and prayers are with the family right now.”
He also advised against people going to Ukraine.
“I’m reluctant to make comment in the context of his passing that would in anyway be perceived as a judgment. People make individual decisions in their lives for the best of reasons,” he said.
“We have advised people not to go to Ukraine. We continue with that advice.”
Extending his condolences, Varadkar said Ukraine was a very dangerous place at present but he respected that some people will make the decision to join the fight.
“I think war should never happen but sometimes people choose to fight and anyone on the Ukrainian side of the war are fighting the good fight and we shouldn’t forget that,” he said.
On Thursday morning, Brian Maher, another Irish man who has been fighting in Ukraine since late May, said he had not met Mason and was shocked when hearing the news.
Speaking to RTE radio’s “Morning Ireland” programme from an ambulance on the way to Lviv, the injured Irish man said, “He’s from Dunboyne and I’m from Ratoath.”
The two Co. Meath towns are around 7 miles from one another.
Asked why he decided to go to Ukraine, Maher said he had life insurance and his children would be safe if something was to happen to him.
“In my head, I felt justified in going. There’s [sic] kids here that are not safe. I suppose that’s the reason why I came over here,” he said.
Maher was shot in his right forearm and has shrapnel in his heart and spine. He said the shot was aimed at his chest.
The Irish man said he’s “looking forward to coming home” while feeling “guilty” for leaving his unit.
