GAA community remembers fallen heroes on Garda Memorial Day: ‘Even 40 years on, it is still so fresh’

Today is the Garda Memorial Day, but men like John Morley, and other gardaí such as Adrian Donohoe and Robbie McCallion who died in the course of fulfilling their duties are kept alive daily by the remembrances of those GAA communities they enriched

Garda Robert McCallion was honoured with a State funeral in 2009, while based in Letterkenny, Co Donegal. ‘He relished a challenge and he rose to that challenge every time. His actions on the field and on the training would inspire other players to set their own bar higher up all the time,’ recalls Billy McNicholas. Picture: PA

When John O’Mahony’s phone started ringing earlier this week, it was left in the car. He had taken a former comrade in football, the former RTÉ journalist Tommy Gorman, out to Shannon’s Cross to have a look at the memorial built for O’Mahony’s old Ballaghaderreen and Mayo teammate, John Morley.

Garda Morley had been in the process of apprehending a group of bank raiders in that very spot on July 7, 1980, when they fired on him, killing him instantly.