Pat Quinlan

Patrick Quinlan (1919–1997) was an Irish Army officer who commanded the Irish UN force that fought at the Siege of Jadotville in Katanga in 1961, and surrendered when they ran out of ammunition and other supplies. Despite the initial lack of recognition for the events leading up to the surrender, in the years following Quinlan's death his reputation in Ireland was restored.

Although suffering no loss of life, Quinlan's company were held as prisoners of war and hostages for approximately one month. The Katangese bartered the Irish soldiers for prisoners in the custody of the Congolese government. After being released, "A" Company were returned to their base in Elizabethville. Some weeks later, Quinlan found himself involved in active combat again, this time with his company in support of Swedish UN troops. Eventually they were reinforced with fresh troops from Ireland. After weeks of fighting and their six-month tour of duty now complete, "A" Company was rotated home to Ireland that December.

In its immediate aftermath, the Irish state did not give much recognition to the battle of Jadotville. Quinlan recommended a number of his men for the Military Medal for Gallantry (MMG), Ireland's highest award for military valour, for their actions during the battle, but no Irish soldier received any decoration for actions at Jadotville. This may have been because of a perceived shame that "A" Company had surrendered and an unwillingness to highlight political or strategic errors by the UN mission.

Quinlan never served overseas again, and retired as a full colonel after 40 years with the Irish Army.

Death Colonel Patrick Quinlan died on 27 August 1997, unaware that his reputation would be restored nine years after his death. His wife Carmel did not live to see his official rehabilitation either, dying two years after he did.

In 2016, the Irish government awarded a Presidential Unit Citation to "A" Company, the first in the State's history. In October 2017 a plaque commemorating Quinlan, who was from County Kerry, was unveiled by former Taoiseach Enda Kenny at Coomakista Pass, County Kerry.

Quinlan's tactics at Jadotville influenced subsequent training programmes, and were, according to RTÉ, "cited in military textbooks worldwide as the best example of the use of the so-called perimeter defence". which was adapted from Declan Power's book, The Siege at Jadotville: The Irish Army's Forgotten Battle (2005). His wife Carmel is played by Fiona Glascott. Colonel Quinlan's son, Commandant Leo Quinlan, has said that Dornan bears an uncanny resemblance to his father, and got everything about him right except his County Kerry accent, which was so strong that "if he had done my father's accent, you'd need subtitles."