THIS WEEK, we continue our feature on members of the Garda Síochána who died in the line of duty … men charged with protecting the public, who paid with their lives while doing just that.
Between 1pm and 1.45pm on 7 July 1980, two armed and masked raiders entered the Bank of Ireland in Ballaghaderreen, Co Roscommon.
They threatened customers and staff and left with £41,000. The raiders ran outside to a waiting blue Ford Cortina, which was driven by a third man.
Local unarmed gardaí arrived on the scene but could do nothing against the armed raiders. From here, my account of what happened next may differ to others, and it might clarify some points. I include many details, kindly supplied by a retired member of the force, who was involved at the time, whom I thank sincerely.
It is reported generally that the raiders were members of the Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) but, in an interview given by gang member Patrick McCann, he maintains they were members of Saor Éire and not the INLA.
As word of the robbery was flashed to garda stations around Connacht and further afield, three members from Castlerea station set off in their blue Ford Escort patrol car, which was driven by garda Derek O’Kelly, and Sgt Michael O’Malley was the front-seat passenger. It is worth noting the positions of the gardaí in the car, as you will see later.
In the back, sitting behind the sergeant, was Detective Garda John Morley, who was born on 6 November 1942. He was a native of Faughhill, Kiltimagh, Co Mayo and had been an outstanding centre-half-back and captain of his county’s senior football team for 13 years. He also represented Connacht. He was married to Collooney, Co Sligo girl Frances Mannion, and the couple had three children, Gordon, Shane and Gillian.
Henry Byrne had served in Carlow town before moving to Castlerea.
Having completed his shift, he was returning to the station when he was picked up by the squad car as it set out to intercept the robbers.
Henry was married to Anne (née Carty) and they had two sons, Paul and Henry, while Anne was expecting their third child. She would later be christened Aisling, which was after the incident we are describing.
Henry was born in Wingfield, Knock – not far from Morley’s birthplace – on 24 March 1951 and joined the force on 8 March 1972. Both had played club football with Kiltimagh. Byrne sat in the back seat behind O’Kelly.
Most reports state that, in making their escape, the raiders set out towards Castlerea.
In fact, they took the Longford road first.
However, a few miles out, they turned off the main road, taking to the treacherous back roads towards Loughglynn in an attempt to avoid detection.
Fate would have it that the Castlerea car would also take to the back roads in an effort to reach the Dublin road.
Shannon’s Cross, near Loughglynn, is a straightforward crossroads.
And it was here the confrontation occurred. As the garda car began to turn right, it was at an angle of about 45 degrees when the raider’s car ploughed into it.
Henry Byrne was quickest to get out of the car, but one of the raiders opened fire and shattered the windscreen, almost severing the pillar of the driver’s door and killing Henry Byrne.
Amazingly, O’Kelly escaped uninjured.
The raiders ran off on foot, chased by Morley – who was the only armed member – and opened fire with his Uzi sub-machine gun, wounding Colm O’Shea, whose return fire killed the detective.
McCann and the third raider Peter Pringle (father of independent TD for Donegal South West Thomas Pringle) then hijacked a Volkswagen car belonging to a former garda and made their getaway. Meanwhile, the wounded O’Shea was captured in the area later that evening.
McCann and Pringle made their way to woods at Cloonfad, where they hijacked another Volkswagen.
However, they soon split, with McCann making his way to Frenchpark, where he was recognised and arrested three days later.
Meanwhile, Pringle had hitched a lift on a lorry to Dunmore, Co Galway, leaving the vehicle just before a checkpoint and making his way to Galway city where, two weeks later, he too was arrested.
All three were convicted of capital murder and sentenced to death by hanging. This was the last time this sentence was handed down in Ireland before its removal from the statute books.
This was commuted to 40 years’ imprisonment without remission by President Hillery.
In an attempt to gain early release, O’Shea and McCann have challenged that fact, but failed. Pringle’s conviction was overturned in 1995 and he was released. O’Shea and McCann are still serving their sentence. Gardaí Morley and Byrne received the Scott Medal for bravery posthumously on 16 September 1982.
Pringle would later meet up with an American woman called Sonia “Sunni” Jacobs, who was herself a witness to the shooting dead of two US policemen, for which her then partner Jesse Joseph Tafero was executed.
The shooting happened in 1976. Ms Jacobs claims Tafero was innocent, that another man travelling with them called Walter Rhodes was the shooter. And it was the latter’s testimony which was largely responsible for Tafero’s conviction.
The execution in the electric chair took place on 4 May 1990.
The weapon used was registered in Jacobs’ name. She was also sentenced to death, but this was later commuted to life and, later again, overturned. And after serving 17 years, she was released.
Pringle and Jacobs met in 1998 at an Amnesty International event in Dublin and became close friends.
After spending some time in the US, they returned to Ireland. They launched the Amnesty International 50-year commemoration stamp, which was issued by An Post on 29 June 2011.
I must move on. There are two other cases I want to mention. The first of local interest is the killing of Garda Patrick O’Halloran. He was a member of the newly-formed force.
His number was 651 and he was stationed in Baltinglass. He was born in Gort, Co Galway on 15 May 1896 and became a garda on 31 March 1922. On 13 January 1923, he was one of four officers to successfully defend Baltinglass garda station against an attack by up to 50 men. On 24 January 1924, while walking his beat, he was passing the National Bank in the town when he heard a struggle.
He tried to enter the building to investigate, only to find that the door was locked. He blew his whistle to alert his comrades. On hearing the whistle, the robbers made their getaway via the back door. O’Halloran gave chase and had just caught up with raiders when one of them turned and shot him at point-blank range, killing him instantly.
This last piece is, I feel, a fitting place to end this feature, as it captures everything we need to know about the majority of the men and women in blue.
But it is the tragic and needless death of detective Garda Jerry McCabe and injury to his companion Ben O’Sullivan that is still fresh in all of our minds.
There is little point in me trying to explain or reason what happened here – but it stunned the nation with its callous outcome.
Jerry McCabe was born on 22 November 1943 and was a native of Ballylongford, Co Kerry.
He became a garda on 9 September 1964. Married to Anne, the couple had five children, John, Mark, Ian, Stacey and Desmond (known as Ross), who is a garda, as is John.
The incident took place at the post office in Adare, Co Limerick on 7 June 1996 at 6.50am as the two detectives were escorting a post office truck delivering cash. Ben O’Sullivan noticed a black Pajero speeding towards them from the rear.
The vehicle slammed into the back of the unmarked patrol car, two men jumped out and fired 15 rounds at the detectives’ vehicle, killing Garda McCabe and seriously injuring Garda O’Sullivan. Garda records say, however, that another car arrived with five men who opened fire.
All made their escape in a Mitsubishi Lancer which, like the Pajero, had been stolen. McCabe was hit three times and killed, while O’Sullivan took 11 hits but survived.
The other bullet was found lodged in the patrol car. Neither man had time to draw their weapons. Four men, Pearse McCauley, Jeremiah Sheehy, Michael O’Neill and Kevin Walsh, were convicted of manslaughter.
All were released by 2009.
The Scott Gold Medal was awarded to Detective McCabe posthumously on 6 July 2000.