A 23-year-old man from Meath has died while fighting for Ukraine.
Rory Mason's family confirmed he was killed in action last Wednesday, September 28th, in Kharkiv close to the Russian border.
The Dunboyne native was part of the International Legion for the Defence of Ukraine, having enlisted at the outset of the conflict last March.
The Mason family learnt of his death from the Department of Foreign Affairs which is providing consular assistance. The family are currently in the process of trying to repatriate his remains.
Rory is survived by his parents Rob and Elizabeth and his younger brother and sister. His dad Rob says he was a private young man of drive, purpose and conviction;
"Though we are deeply saddened at his death, we are enormously proud of his courage and determination and his selflessness in immediately enlisting to support Ukraine. Rory was never political but he had a deep sense of right and wrong and an inability to turn the other way in the face of injustice. He had a long-standing interest in Eastern Europe, in travel and in learning new languages, including Russian."
He had been working in Germany, to help fund his travel ambitions before joining the international legion.
