Martin Donnellan
Encyclopedia
Martin Donnellan , Garda Síochána
Detective Sergeant 17179D and recipient of the Scott Medal
, born 1948.
Donnellan was born at Ballymoe
, County Galway
, on 7 June 1948. He had been a cabinet
maker prior to joining the force.
Four heavily armed men robbed a bank at Stillorgan Shopping Centre, Dublin, escaping to a van
, driven by a fifth man, with £102,000. Off-duty Gardaí Keeley made an effort to note the van's registration but was fired upon. He returned fire. With most of south Dublin's mobile units in pursuit, the high-speed chase "ended dramatically at Carrickmines
Cross."
Abandoning the van and hi-jacking a car, they made their way into the Dublin Mountions where they crashed the car. As they hijacked another car, they were discovered by Detective Doyle, who was joined by Donnellan and Brennan.
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 Sergeant 17179D and recipient of 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...
, born 1948.
Donnellan was born at Ballymoe
Ballymoe
Ballymoe is a village in County Galway, Ireland. Ballymoe is situated on the western side of the River Suck that separates counties Galway and Roscommon...
, County Galway
County Galway
County Galway 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 city of Galway. Galway County Council is the local authority for the county. There are several strongly Irish-speaking areas in the west of the county...
, on 7 June 1948. He had been a cabinet
Cabinet (furniture)
A cabinet is usually a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors or drawers for storing miscellaneous items. Some cabinets stand alone while others are built into a wall or are attached to it like a medicine cabinet. Cabinets are typically made of wood or, now increasingly, of synthetic...
maker prior to joining the force.
Stillorgan bank raid
Donnellan was one of six Gardaí awarded the Scott Medal in recognition of their actions on 30 December 1980.Four heavily armed men robbed a bank at Stillorgan Shopping Centre, Dublin, escaping to a van
Van
A van is a kind of vehicle used for transporting goods or groups of people.In British English usage, it can be either specially designed or based on a saloon or sedan car, the latter type often including derivatives with open backs...
, driven by a fifth man, with £102,000. Off-duty Gardaí Keeley made an effort to note the van's registration but was fired upon. He returned fire. With most of south Dublin's mobile units in pursuit, the high-speed chase "ended dramatically at Carrickmines
Carrickmines
Carrickmines is suburb of Dublin in Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown, Ireland. Traditionally a location for large expensive houses, being situated just south of Foxrock. The area is now divided north/south by the M50 motorway and its associated Junction 15...
Cross."
"The raiders, realizing that their aged van was never going to outdistance the powerful Garda patrol car, stopped out of sight of the pursuing detectives [Daly and Curran] and set up a hastily-prepared ambush. Their car was savagely raked with bullets and both men severely injured. The robbers then continued in their flight."
Abandoning the van and hi-jacking a car, they made their way into the Dublin Mountions where they crashed the car. As they hijacked another car, they were discovered by Detective Doyle, who was joined by Donnellan and Brennan.
"Realizing that the raiders could scarcely head back towards Dublin, the three detectives used their cars to block the narrow road. The robbers in their stolen DatsunDatsunDatsun was an automobile marque. The name was created in 1931 by the DAT Motorcar Co. for a new car model, spelling it as "Datson" to indicate its smaller size when compared to the existing, larger DAT car. Later, in 1933 after Nissan Motor Co., Ltd...
appeared within seconds and stopped a few yards from the improvised roadblock. The three detectives took cover, Doyle pointing his pistol while Donnellan and Brennan pointed cupped hands to give the impression that they were also armed. Panic now seized the raiders. In a frenzied attempt to reverse out of the situation they slid into a drain and overturned. They then tried to escape on foot as the intrepid detectives closed in, Doyle firing first a warning shot over the raiders' heads and firing again when it seemed that fire might be returned. One raider was wounded and two others then gave up the struggle. The remaining two made good their escape."
See also
- Domnallan mac MaelbrigdiDomnallan mac Maelbrigdi-Biography:Domnallan was the son of Maelbrigdi, a member of the Ui Maine dynasty, located in south-east Connacht. His pedigree is given as Domnallan mac Maelbrigdi mic Grenain mic Loingsich mic Domnallain mic Bresail mic Dluthaig mic Fithchellaig mic Dicholla mic Eogain Find.-Descendants:The...
, from whom the surname Donnellan derives. - Brian ConnaughtonBrian ConnaughtonBrian Connaughton, Garda Síochána and recipient of the Scott Medal, 8 October 1899-26 March 1983.-Background:Connaughton was a native of Ballinglas, Mountbellew, County Galway...
- Joseph ScottJoseph Scott (garda)Joseph Scott, Garda Síochána and recipient of the Scott Medal, 4 March 1901-20 August 1962.-Background:Scott was born at Leavhive, Creggs, County Galway, and was a farmer before joining An Garda Síochána 1 April 1922, making him one of the very first members of the force...
- Deaths of Garda officers (1980)Deaths of Garda officers (1980)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 during a pursuit in the aftermath of a bank robbery. Occurring near Loughglynn, County Roscommon, the officers' deaths provoked a...
- Michael J. ReynoldsMichael J. ReynoldsMichael J. Reynolds , Garda Síochána 17673G and recipient of the Scott Medal, 1945-1975.-Incident at St. Anne's Park:A native of Kilconnell, Ballinasloe, Reynolds was one of a number of Gardaí who responded to an armed robbery at the Bank of Ireland, Killester, Dublin, on the afternoon of 11...
- Jerry McCabeJerry McCabeDetective Garda Jerry McCabe was a member of the Garda Síochána, the police force of the Republic of Ireland. McCabe was murdered in Adare, County Limerick on 7 June 1996, by members of the paramilitary group, the Provisional IRA, during the attempted robbery of a post office van.-Early...
- Yvonne Burke (Garda)Yvonne Burke (Garda)Yvonne Burke, Garda Síochána and first female recipient of the Scott Medal, born 20 April 1970.-Incident at Cabra:Burke and her colleague, Garda Brady, were on mobile patrol on the Navan Road, Cabra, on 13 November 1993 when an alarm was raised at a local supermarket...
Reference
- An Garda Síochána and the Scott Medal, p. 105, Gerard O'Brien, Four Courts PressFour Courts PressFour Courts Press is an Irish academic publishing house.It was founded in 1970 by Michael Adams, a managing director at the Irish Academic Press and a member of Opus Dei. Its early publications were primarily theological, notably the English translation of the Navarre Bible...
, 2008. ISBN 978 1 84682 124 0