Deaths of Garda officers (1980)
Encyclopedia
Two officers of the Garda Síochána
, the police force of the Ireland
, were shot and killed on July 7 1980 by alleged members of the Irish National Liberation Army
(INLA) during a pursuit in the aftermath of a bank robbery. Occurring near Loughglynn
, County Roscommon
, the officers' deaths provoked a national outrage. Three men were apprehended, convicted and sentenced to death for capital murder. Two of the sentences were later reduced to 40 years imprisonment while the third was overturned.
in Ballaghaderreen
, County Roscommon
. The group held staff and customers at gunpoint before leaving with £35,000 pounds
. Gardaí of the Irish national police arrived on the scene but were unarmed and were unable to stop the armed men from escaping in a blue Ford Cortina
. The perpetrators were intercepted by a Garda patrol car from Castlerea
with four Gardaí, including Detective John Morley, who was armed with an Uzi machine gun. The two cars collided at Aghaderry. One of the raiders jumped out of the Cortina and sprayed the patrol car with bullets, killing Garda Officer Henry Byrne.
One man left the Cortina and ran off while his two accomplices - wearing balaclavas - ran in the opposite direction. There was an exchange of shots in which Morley is believed to have wounded one of the men, but he himself was fatally wounded. Both of these men were later apprehended, while a third man was apprehended in the city of Galway almost two weeks later.
, County Mayo
, was a Garda Síochána
detective. Morley was married with two sons, Shane and Gordon and a daughter, Gillian. Morley had also been a noted Gaelic footballer
and was considered one of the best centre backs in the history of Connacht
football. He played 112 league and championship games for Mayo
between 1961-1974.
Henry Byrne, born 1950 in Knock
, County Mayo
, was a police officer. Byrne was married with two children and his wife was pregnant with a third at the time of his death.
, and the 21st and 22nd Gardaí to die violently since the foundation of the state in 1922.
The three men apprehended were Peter Pringle, Patrick McCann, and Colm O'Shea. Because a portion of funding for the Irish National Liberation Army
(INLA), a Republican paramilitary organization, came from bank robberies, the three robbery suspects were identified as being associated with the INLA. This claim was disputed by advocates for the Irish Republican Socialist Party
, the INLA's political wing, who stated that only one of the men (Pringle) had had a peripheral connection with the Irish Republican organization some years earlier.
All three men were found guilty of murder and sentenced to death
. The sentences were later reduced to 40 years imprisonment with no chance of parole. Pringle's conviction was overturned in 1995 after serving 15 years. As of February 2008, McCann and O'Shea were still serving their sentences in Portlaoise Prison
.
Morley and Byrne were posthumously awarded the Scott Medal
for their actions. The medals were presented to their families at a special ceremony in Templemore
in 1982.
The events of that day are recalled in an episode of the RTÉ One
programme Garda ar Lár
.
Garda Síochána
, more commonly referred to as the Gardaí , is the police force of Ireland. The service is headed by the Commissioner who is appointed by the Irish Government. Its headquarters are located in the Phoenix Park in Dublin.- Terminology :...
, the police force of the Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
, were shot and killed on July 7 1980 by alleged members of the Irish National Liberation Army
Irish National Liberation Army
The Irish National Liberation Army or INLA is an Irish republican socialist paramilitary group that was formed on 8 December 1974. Its goal is to remove Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom and create a socialist united Ireland....
(INLA) during a pursuit in the aftermath of a bank robbery. Occurring near Loughglynn
Loughglynn
Loughglynn, officially spelled Loughglinn , is a village in County Roscommon, Ireland. It is named after the lake to the north of the village.- Features :...
, County Roscommon
County Roscommon
County Roscommon is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the town of Roscommon. Roscommon County Council is the local authority for the county...
, the officers' deaths provoked a national outrage. Three men were apprehended, convicted and sentenced to death for capital murder. Two of the sentences were later reduced to 40 years imprisonment while the third was overturned.
Bank robbery
On July 7 1980 three armed and masked men raided the Bank of IrelandBank of Ireland
The Bank of Ireland is a commercial bank operation in Ireland, which is one of the 'Big Four' in both parts of the island.Historically the premier banking organisation in Ireland, the Bank occupies a unique position in Irish banking history...
in Ballaghaderreen
Ballaghaderreen
Ballaghaderreen is a town in County Roscommon. It is located on the N5 National primary road. The town has become a bottleneck on the N5 route in recent years and the opening of the Charlestown bypass down the road has exacerbated the problem...
, County Roscommon
County Roscommon
County Roscommon is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the town of Roscommon. Roscommon County Council is the local authority for the county...
. The group held staff and customers at gunpoint before leaving with £35,000 pounds
Irish pound
The Irish pound was the currency of Ireland until 2002. Its ISO 4217 code was IEP, and the usual notation was the prefix £...
. Gardaí of the Irish national police arrived on the scene but were unarmed and were unable to stop the armed men from escaping in a blue Ford Cortina
Ford Cortina
As the 1960s dawned, BMC were revelling in the success of their new Mini – the first successful true minicar to be built in Britain in the postwar era...
. The perpetrators were intercepted by a Garda patrol car from Castlerea
Castlerea
Castlerea is located in the west of County Roscommon, Ireland. It is the second largest town in the county with a population of 3,055 . Roughly translated from Irish, Castlerea can mean Brindled Castle or King's Castle...
with four Gardaí, including Detective John Morley, who was armed with an Uzi machine gun. The two cars collided at Aghaderry. One of the raiders jumped out of the Cortina and sprayed the patrol car with bullets, killing Garda Officer Henry Byrne.
One man left the Cortina and ran off while his two accomplices - wearing balaclavas - ran in the opposite direction. There was an exchange of shots in which Morley is believed to have wounded one of the men, but he himself was fatally wounded. Both of these men were later apprehended, while a third man was apprehended in the city of Galway almost two weeks later.
Garda Síochána officers
John Francis Morley, born 1942 in KnockKnock
Knock Mary") is a small town in County Mayo, Ireland whose notability derives from the Knock Shrine where it is claimed the Virgin Mary, together with St Joseph and St John the Evangelist, appeared in 1879....
, County Mayo
County Mayo
County Mayo is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the village of Mayo, which is now generally known as Mayo Abbey. Mayo County Council is the local authority for the county. The population of the county is 130,552...
, was a Garda Síochána
Garda Síochána
, more commonly referred to as the Gardaí , is the police force of Ireland. The service is headed by the Commissioner who is appointed by the Irish Government. Its headquarters are located in the Phoenix Park in Dublin.- Terminology :...
detective. Morley was married with two sons, Shane and Gordon and a daughter, Gillian. Morley had also been a noted Gaelic footballer
Gaelic football
Gaelic football , commonly referred to as "football" or "Gaelic", or "Gah" is a form of football played mainly in Ireland...
and was considered one of the best centre backs in the history of Connacht
Connacht
Connacht , formerly anglicised as Connaught, is one of the Provinces of Ireland situated in the west of Ireland. In Ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for...
football. He played 112 league and championship games for Mayo
Mayo GAA
The Mayo County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Mayo GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Mayo and the Mayo inter-county teams.-History:...
between 1961-1974.
Henry Byrne, born 1950 in Knock
Knock
Knock Mary") is a small town in County Mayo, Ireland whose notability derives from the Knock Shrine where it is claimed the Virgin Mary, together with St Joseph and St John the Evangelist, appeared in 1879....
, County Mayo
County Mayo
County Mayo is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the village of Mayo, which is now generally known as Mayo Abbey. Mayo County Council is the local authority for the county. The population of the county is 130,552...
, was a police officer. Byrne was married with two children and his wife was pregnant with a third at the time of his death.
Aftermath
The event was considered a national tragedy in Ireland. Byrne and Morley were the fifth and sixth Gardaí officers to die in the TroublesThe Troubles
The Troubles was a period of ethno-political conflict in Northern Ireland which spilled over at various times into England, the Republic of Ireland, and mainland Europe. The duration of the Troubles is conventionally dated from the late 1960s and considered by many to have ended with the Belfast...
, and the 21st and 22nd Gardaí to die violently since the foundation of the state in 1922.
The three men apprehended were Peter Pringle, Patrick McCann, and Colm O'Shea. Because a portion of funding for the Irish National Liberation Army
Irish National Liberation Army
The Irish National Liberation Army or INLA is an Irish republican socialist paramilitary group that was formed on 8 December 1974. Its goal is to remove Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom and create a socialist united Ireland....
(INLA), a Republican paramilitary organization, came from bank robberies, the three robbery suspects were identified as being associated with the INLA. This claim was disputed by advocates for the Irish Republican Socialist Party
Irish Republican Socialist Party
The Irish Republican Socialist Party or IRSP is a republican socialist party active in Ireland. It claims the legacy of socialist revolutionary James Connolly, who founded the Irish Socialist Republican Party in 1896 and was executed after the Easter Rising of 1916.- History :The Irish Republican...
, the INLA's political wing, who stated that only one of the men (Pringle) had had a peripheral connection with the Irish Republican organization some years earlier.
All three men were found guilty of murder and sentenced to death
Death Sentence
Death Sentence is a short story by the American science-fiction writer Isaac Asimov. It was first published in the November 1943 issue of Astounding Science Fiction and reprinted in the 1972 collection The Early Asimov.-Plot summary:...
. The sentences were later reduced to 40 years imprisonment with no chance of parole. Pringle's conviction was overturned in 1995 after serving 15 years. As of February 2008, McCann and O'Shea were still serving their sentences in Portlaoise Prison
Portlaoise Prison
Portlaoise Prison is the Republic of Ireland's only high security prison. It is located in Portlaoise, County Laois. It should not be confused with the Midlands Prison, which is a newer, medium security prison situated directly beside it....
.
Morley and Byrne were posthumously awarded the Scott Medal
Scott Medal
The Walter Scott Medal is a medal awarded annually for bravery to Garda Síochána police officers and firemen. It is not a state award, being at the gift of the commissioner, but the medals are awarded by the Minister for Justice. FDNY recipients are also awarded $500, donated by the Fire Foundation...
for their actions. The medals were presented to their families at a special ceremony in Templemore
Garda Síochána College
Garda Síochána College is the education and training college of the Garda Síochána . It is located at McCan Barracks, Templemore, North Tipperary in Ireland. The college has been located in Templemore since 1964.-History:...
in 1982.
The events of that day are recalled in an episode of the RTÉ One
RTÉ One
RTÉ One is the flagship television channel of Raidió Teilifís Éireann , and it is the most popular and most watched television channel in Ireland. It was launched as Telefís Éireann on 31 December 1961, it was renamed RTÉ Television in 1966, and it was renamed as RTÉ One upon the launch of RTÉ...
programme Garda ar Lár
Garda ar Lár
Garda ar Lár is an Irish television series, the second season of which was broadcast on RTÉ One throughout January and February 2009. It examines incidents where members of the country's Garda Síochána lost their lives since the foundation of the state. Over thirty members of the force have lost...
.
Source
- Lost Lives:The stories of the men, women and children who died as a result of the Northern Ireland troubles, David McKittrick, Seamus Kelters, Brian Feeney and Christ Thornton, pp. 831–832. ISBN 9 781840 182279.