Getting “out of the way of the bullets” and carrying on with the job was a top priority for former Garda det chief supt Patrick “Malachy” Shiel as he and a team rescued an IRA hostage some 50 years ago.
Shiel vividly remembers the incident, which “terrified” him, but he says: “I never showed any fear.”
Today, he joins a small number of gardaí who have received two Scott Medals for bravery, which is the highest award that can be bestowed by the Garda commissioner.
Along with five others, Shiel was on Friday recognised with a bronze Scott Medal for his part in two separate hostage rescues. The more well-known was the IRA kidnapping of Tiede Herrema in October, 1975. A prominent businessman, Herrema was abducted by republicans Eddie Gallagher and Marion Coyle and held hostage for 36 days.
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Shiel recalls his approach was that this “was a job; we were there to rescue a hostage”.
Shiel was part of a team of gardaí that attempted a rescue of the Dutch national. They came under fire from the kidnappers but held ground, fearing the hostage would be shot.
His wife was the “bravest woman there was”, he says, noting she could guess the danger he was walking into but was never allowed to be told specifics.
After the rescue bid, a standoff ensued. For 18 days, Herrema and his kidnappers were trapped in the box room of a house in Monasterevin, Co Kildare.
[ Tiede Herrema: ‘The kidnappers were nervous. So was I’Opens in new window ]
As the siege continued, two detectives — the late det sgt Michael Egan and chief supt John Murphy — climbed a ladder in an attempt to monitor the situation in the room. Egan, who was awarded a silver Scott Medal, lost his finger during the rescue bid.
Herrema was rescued 36 days after his abduction. Shiel says he was shocked it went on for so long. He recalls the kidnappers throwing down three guns, before Herrema walked down the stairs a free man.
Murphy, like Shiel, was awarded a bronze Scott Medal, as were assistant commissioners Thomas King and Edward O’Dea (now deceased), and sgt Daniel Duffin (also deceased).
Egan’s son, Declan Egan, who is now a Garda inspector, says his father “was the one in the window at Monasterevin; he was the one that took the bullet”.
Michael Egan died aged 84 at the end of 2025, but he knew he was soon to receive the bravery medal. “It gave him a great buzz, really it gave him a great lift,” says his son.
Murphy says he “was never afraid in my life, thanks be to God”, despite being fired at multiple times during his tenure.
The thought of “what could have happened” during the rescue mission kept him awake at night “for a couple nights afterwards”, he says.
Murphy, Egan and Shiel attended a ceremony in Walter Scott House in Dublin led by Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly and Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan.
[ ‘Great friend of Ireland’: IRA kidnap victim Tiede Herrema dies aged 99Opens in new window ]
Six of the Scott Medals awarded on Friday were given posthumously.
The sole gold medal recipient, sgt James Woods, was killed while on duty at Scartaglin Garda Station in Co Kerry on December 3rd, 1923. The station was attacked by a group of armed and masked men, believed to be local anti-treaty Volunteers. Woods refused to hand over his uniform and was fatally wounded.
The late garda Patrick Spillane, who was beaten and held at gunpoint, received a silver medal for his actions on that night, which included cycling 8km to seek assistance.
Four gardaí were recognised with bronze medals for bravery in freeing two hostages who were being held by members of the Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) in January 1981. Shiel and King received second bravery medals, while William Ryan and Joseph Madigan were also honoured for their roles.
