A ceremony to honour 24 former Irish merchant seamen for their bravery in keeping supply lines to Ireland open during World War II was held in Dublin Castle today.
Six of those honoured collected their own Valour Awards, while the relatives of the others were there to represent them.
The Argentinian ambassador to Ireland, Mr Victor E Beauge, collected a medal honouring Patricio McCarthy, the only Argentinian national to have been lost on an Irish vessel during the war.
The men were described by the Minister of State at the Department of the Marine Mr Hugh Byrne as "not only true patriots but also heroes".
"At the best of times a seafarer's occupation can be hazardous. When this task is further complicated by the perils of war we can begin to realise the extent of the bravery of the people who served on board Irish vessels at that time," he said.
Scores of Irish sailors were killed by German navy U-boats targeting merchant vessesls.
The Government decided after the war that a medal should be presented to seamen who served for at least six months on Irish merchant ships between September 1939 and March 1946.
The oldest of six surviving sailors collecting awards today was 88-year-old Dubliner Mr Walter Carraher who once watched as the Luftwaffe bombed Belfast.
"It was our job to ensure that the lights and the buoys were working to protect other vessels," he said. "We were in harbour one night when the bombing raid came in. It was very frightening."
Mr Carraher, whose father was given the same award, added: "We did not realise the value of our service then, we were just doing our job, but now we are receiving a medal it is clear just how important the work was. "Today brings back a lot of memories."