A young man from County Meath has been killed in Kharkiv, whilst fighting in Ukraine.
23-year-old Rory Mason was killed in action last Wednesday, September 28th, close to the Russian border.
The young man from Dunboyne in Co. Meath, enlisted in the International Legion for the Defence of Ukraine at the start of the war last March.
The Mason family learnt of his death from the Department of Foreign Affairs, which is providing consular assistance.
Commenting on his death, Rory's father, Rod said: “Rory 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.
“Rory was our son and we will miss him enormously. As our family is still trying to come to terms with Rory’s death, we would appeal for privacy at this difficult time”.
Rory had been working in Germany, to help fund his travel ambitions, prior to joining the international legion.
He's is deeply missed by his parents Rob and Elizabeth, and his younger brother and sister.
The family are currently in the process of trying to repatriate his remains, and have appealed for privacy at this time.
