Fallen members of An Garda Síochána remembered at Civic Guard re-enactment
Gardaí parade from the Irish Naval vessel LE James Joyce on Kennedy Quay to Anglesea Street, via Union Quay in a re-enactment of the Civic Guard. Picture: Larry Cummins
Gardaí have re-enacted the deployment of the Civic Guard in Cork 100 years ago as part of their ongoing ceremonies marking the centenary of the foundation of An Garda Síochána.
A contingent of gardaí arrived at the city’s Kennedy Quay on board the LE James Joyce as they recreated the arrival on November 9, 1922, of some 60 Civic Guards in the city from Dublin on board the steamship Lady Carlow under the command of Superintendent Eamon P Cullen.
Those men, who were described by the then as "a well set up drilled body of men", were billeted at the School of Music building on Union Quay, beside the ruined RIC Station which had been burned down the previous August. The Civic Guard was renamed the Garda Síochána na hÉireann on August 8, 1923.
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The ceremony, which included the Garda Band, the Garda Ceremonial Unit, the Garda Mounted Unit, as well as serving and retired members of the force, included a parade to Union Quay where a plaque was unveiled by Assistant Commissioner Eileen Foster outside the original station.
The ceremonies then moved to the garda headquarters for the Southern region on Anglesea Street where a plaque was unveiled in memory of the six officers who have died in the line of duty in Cork City over the last century.
They include Garda James Brendan McIntyre and Garda George Rice, who died on Sunday, April 22, 2001, when their patrol car was involved in a collision on the North Ring Road; Garda James Doody, who died on January 7, 1973, when the patrol car in which he was responding to an incident was involved in a collision with another vehicle at the junction of Glasheen Road and Wilton Road; Det Garda John Roche, who died on January 3, 1940, after he was shot on St Patrick’s St; Garda Eugene McCarthy, who drowned on January 8, 1933, after rescuing a man from the river Lee at George’s Quay; and Sgt James Fitzsimons, who was shot in the hallway of St Luke’s garda station on November 14, 1926.
Also remembered was Garda Sean Linehan, from Montenotte but who was stationed in Dundrum, when he was involved in a fatal collision while undergoing an official motorcycle training course in Tullamore on June 9, 1992.
Serving and retired members, as well as relatives of some of the deceased members, were later accorded a civic reception in City Hall where Lord Mayor, Deirdre Forde, praised the force for its work in the city over the last century.
“They are the glue holding our communities together — not only do they keep us, our families and friends safe — they are a vital part of creating and maintaining close-knit communities,” she said.
Chief Supt Tom Myers said An Garda Síochána has, in that time, woven itself into the fabric of the city, working with a wide range of stakeholders, while embracing change and diversity along the way.
“An Garda Síochána will continue to work with you to ensure the safety of the community we serve, where we live, and contribute to in our daily lives. By continually working together to keep Cork City and its communities safe, we will forge a better future for our communities,” he said.
He remembered fallen colleagues, and their families, and said: “Our families live in the knowledge that their loved one may be put at personal risk when they go to work, and I want to thank them for supporting their family members, our Garda members, in the brave and selfless work that they do.”
An exhibition featuring an original 1922 garda uniform, photographs, and memorabilia were on display as part of the civic reception.
It will go on tour across the city's library network over the coming weeks.
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