The Minister for Justice and Equality, Charlie Flanagan TD, will today (Saturday) honour the 88 Garda members who have died in the line of duty at the Annual Garda Memorial Day. The Minister will read the names of those who have died in service to the State inscribed on the Roll of Honour and deliver an address. The event will take place in the Dubhlinn Gardens in Dublin Castle.
In his address, the Minister will say:
We remember with pride the courage of those who sacrificed so much so that we may go about our daily lives without fear. In the proud tradition of An Garda Síochána, they committed their lives to public service, and made the “ultimate sacrifice” in the service of their country. On behalf of the Government, I wish to express my deepest sympathies to the families of those whose lives were cut so short.
Everyday An Garda Síochána works, in partnership with their colleagues in the other emergency services, in order to protect us when we are at our most vulnerable. It is appropriate that we take a moment today to remember the members of those services who have lost their lives over the years in service of others.
The Minister will remember in particular Garda Adrian Donohoe and Garda Tony Golden. Detective Garda Adrian Donohoe lost his life at Bellurgan, Co Louth, in January 2013 when he was shot dead in the course of an armed robbery at a credit union. Garda Tony Golden was shot dead at Omeath, Co Louth, in October 2015 while working to support and protect a vulnerable young woman who was a victim of domestic abuse.
The Minister will say:
Garda Adrian Donohoe and Garda Tony Golden are, of course, to the forefront of our minds today. They are the most recent additions to the roll of honour of members who we commemorate today and whose memory we cherish and respect. Both Adrian Donohue and Tony Golden left behind them wives and children, families and friends, whose grief we simply cannot hope to comprehend. We recognise also the impact of their deaths on the Gardaí in the Louth Division in particular who lost their valued colleagues in the most tragic way.
And while there are no words of mine that could possibly assuage the grief of those who suffer so great a loss, let me say this. These two men were heroes. Tony Golden and Adrian Donohoe gave their all in selfless service to their communities; to their fellow citizens. Both men stood firmly and faithfully behind the commitment they made when they put on the uniform. They did not waver in that commitment – not for a second. By their service and their actions they epitomise the best values of An Garda Síochána.
The Minister will also reflect on his own personal experience:
Personally, I will never forget the courage and selflessness of Garda Michael Clerkin who was killed on the 16 October 1976 while following up on an anonymous phone call regarding a plot to kidnap and kill my late father. It was a deeply poignant moment for me to attend last December’s Scott Medal ceremony and witness the posthumous award of a Gold Scott medal to Garda Clerkin.
An Garda Síochána Memorial Garden honours the members of An Garda Síochána who were killed in the service of the State. The names of members of An Garda Síochána who were killed are inscribed in stone within the garden. Additionally, a glass sculpture commemorates the sacrifice of the families left behind and a stone sculpture is a tribute to all deceased members of An Garda Síochána, the Royal Irish Constabulary and the Dublin Metropolitan Police.