Adrian Donohoe case breakthrough praised at memorial service

The celebrants of this year's Garda memorial day service have expressed gratitude to US border control police for the arrest of the chief suspect in the murder of Garda Adrian Donohoe.

The ceremony to remember those members of the force killed in the line of duty took place in Dubh Linn Gardens in Dublin Castle on Saturday morning.

Church of Ireland Archdeacon and Garda chaplain David Pierpoint's acknowledgement of the "diligence" of US officials in arresting an Irish man suspected of involvement in Mr Donohoe's death was met with applause from the hundreds of attendees at the event.

The service was celebrated by the archdeacon and the force's Catholic chaplain, Fr Joe Kennedy.

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Mr Donohoe, a father-of-two, was fatally shot on January 25th, 2013, while on a cash escort with his colleague Det Joe Ryan near Dundalk, Co Louth.

Saturday's service paid tribute to the 88 members of An Garda Síochána who have died in the line of duty since the foundation of the State.

The event was lead by Deputy Garda Commissioner John Twomey, with Acting Garda Commissioner Dónall Ó Cualáin standing in for Commissioner Nóirín O'Sullivan, who is currently on annual leave.

Past and present members of An Garda Síochána, along with the families of deceased members of the force, were undeterred by the morning’s heavy downpours, huddling under plastic ponchos as music from the Garda band and Garda choir led the service.

Speaking following a reading by Anne McCabe, wife of Det Jerry McCabe, who was killed 20 years ago, the archdeacon called on politicians to concentrate on providing gardaí with “proper resources to do their job efficiently, effectively and, above all, in safety”, rather than “looking for management heads on platters.

“There’s no doubt that there are issues within our force which need to be addressed and reformed and they are currently being undertaken, and I urge all politicians, and the general public, to allow time for the processes currently in place to reach conclusions before looking to put any head on a platter.

“I ask those in authority, both at senior level in An Garda Síochána and at political level, as a matter of urgency, to work to restore confidence within An Garda Síochána and the confidence of our citizens in the members of the force, without which the task of keeping the peace is made much more difficult.”

With an imminent change in the State’s political leadership on the horizon, the archdeacon called on those in Government to recognise the hard work of An Garda Síochána in “protecting the innocent from oppression”, while “often paying the ultimate sacrifice”.

Grief

Mr Ó Cualáin spoke of the unique nature of Saturday’s ceremony in bringing together the private grief of families with the more public grief of the Garda force.

“Every family member here mourns a man who was staunched at the end against odds uncounted, who died heroic deaths in the neverending war against crime,” he said.

“Their deaths are testament to the idealism that to this day runs as an unbroken thread through An Garda Síochána, reminding us that we are the thin blue line that stands between order and chaos, peace and terrorism, civilised living and gangland terrorism.

“They are testament that we stand on the shoulder of giants and must strive every day to replicate their professionalism, their dedication, their love of service to the public.”

Fr Kennedy echoed the archdeacon’s gratitude to US police in his speech at the ceremony.

He also paid tribute to the 13 members of the PSNI who have died since the establishment of that force in 2001.

The service included prayers of the faithful read by family members of the deceased and representatives from the State’s Buddhist, Baha’í, Shia Muslim, Sunni Muslim, Sufi, Russian Orthodox, Romanian Orthodox and Sikh communities.

It was followed by a wreath-laying ceremony.

Ahead of the event, white roses were placed alongside the walls of the Garda memorial garden at Dublin Castle, which displays the names of the 88 gardaí who have died in the line of the duty.