An Garda Síochana centenary medals awarded to gardaí and reserve members

The first batch of medals marking the centenary of An Garda Síochána were awarded to gardaí, civilian staff and members of the Garda reserve in a ceremony on Thursday.

The force plans to award the commemorative medals to all serving and retired gardaí, as well as civilian staff and those in the Garda reserve.

The first of the medals were handed out at an event held in Kevin Street Garda station in Dublin city, attended by Garda Commissioner Drew Harris and Minister for Justice Helen McEntee.

Speaking at the event, Mr Harris said for any organisation to be 100 years old was a “great achievement”.

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“Today we’ve awarded the first of our commemorative medals celebrating the centenary of An Garda Síochána,” he said.

“What we want to do is celebrate the achievement of members and personnel of An Garda Síochána, those who are currently serving, both Garda members and Garda staff, but also retired members as well,” he said.

“Through the rest of the year we will be awarding members and retired members, Garda staff and Garda reserves these medals,” he said.

The awards to those involved with the force, past and present, were in “recognition of their service and their commitment to the people of Ireland”, said the commissioner.

Families of former officers now deceased are also set to receive a commemorative medal.

The medals feature an engraved Garda crest on the front, with a Brian Ború harp on the back.

Commemorative coin

Civilian staff are to receive a commemorative coin, which is the same as the medal given to members without an attached vertical blue and yellow striped ribbon to pin it to a uniform.

Awarding of the medals is part of a series of events taking place this year to mark the centenary of the force.

The highlight of the commemorations is to take place later this month in Dublin Castle on Saturday, August 27th, which will mark 100 years since the handover from the British army and the RIC to the civic guard, which later became An Garda Síochána.

The event will commemorate the day in 1922 when the force’s first commissioner, Michael Staines, led 380 civic guards into Dublin Castle following its evacuation by the British army and the RIC.

Speaking afterwards, Garda Commissioner Drew Harris said the force was conducting a review into the case of Paul Moody, a former garda who was recently jailed for abusing his terminally-ill partner over a four-year period.

Moody, who resigned in the face of disciplinary proceedings, later pleaded guilty to coercive control and received a sentence of three years and three months.

The commissioner said the special case review would “turn over every stone” and look at what lessons could be learned. The review would examine if there had been any wrongdoing by other gardaí in connection with the abuse by the former member, he said. The commissioner said he expected the review to be completed in a number of weeks.