The 24-year-old will be given full military honours
Private Seán Rooney - the young Irish soldier killed while peacekeeping in Lebanon last week - is to be laid to rest today.
The 24-year-old will be given full military honours, which will include an escort of 30 people and a firing party.
It's expected among those involved in these honours will be members of his home unit - the 27th Infantry Battalion in Dundalk.
Private Rooney's funeral mass got underway at the Holy Family Church in Dundalk at 9 o'clock this morning, and will be followed by a burial service in All Saints Church in Colehill, County Donegal.
Kildare South TD and former army ranger Cathal Berry says it's an opportunity to reflect on the sacrifice soldiers make: