Sincere thank you

We wish to thank the unexpectedly large number of people who turned out for the RIC/DMP Commemoration in Glasnevin.

The numbers far exceeded our expectations as about 130-150 people turned up instead of the 30 or so we expected.

They travelled from all parts of the country, including Northern Ireland, and included a few elderly and feeble men with walking sticks who were determined to attend.

After the ceremony we were humbled by the number of people who queued up to shake our hands and congratulate us. All had relatives in the RIC or DMP and they were thrilled at the opportunity of attending the first ever ceremony of its type. Some had tears in their eyes while others had photographs of their loved ones to show us.

Sadly we did not have the opportunity of getting all their contact details on the day and through your paper we are asking them, and anyone else who had relatives in the RIC or DMP, to contact us on [e-mail]. We are building a database of interested persons to enable us notify them of a possible similar event in the future.

Patrick McCarthy & Gerard Lovett (Retired members of An Garda Síochána)

Knocklyon Avenue

Dublin 16