Dún Laoghaire Garda among the first to receive commemorative medal to mark Garda centenary

Last Friday at Kevin Street Garda Station, Dún Laoghaire Garda JP Durkin, was among the first members of An Garda Síochána to be presented with a commemorative medal to mark the centenary of An Garda Síochána.

Over the coming months, eligible serving Garda members and staff throughout Ireland, will receive commemorative medals and coins to mark 100 years since An Garda Síochána was established as an unarmed, national police force.

Commemorations have been taking place locally, in Garda stations, to remember the hundreds of men and women who served local communities all over Dublin and Ireland.

Garda JP Durkin with Senator Ward.

Community Garda JP Durkin, who has given 38 years’ service to An Garda Síochána in Dublin, and who is well known to the residents of the Dún Laoghaire area, was amongst a select, representative number of Gardaí chosen to receive the first medals, at Kevin Street Garda Station, from Minister for Justice Helen McEntee TD, and Garda Commissioner Drew Harris, at a ceremony today.

Senator Barry Ward said, “We all appreciate the important work that Garda members in Dublin do to keep us safe and secure. It is great to see that service being recognised with these commemorative items to honour their commitment to serving our community.

“We also pay tribute to retired Gardaí who will also receive commemorative items, with medals to be presented to the next of kin of Gardaí who were killed in the line of duty and to the widows or widowers of deceased retired Gardaí. The commemorative items will be accompanied by a certificate of appreciation signed by both Minister McEntee and Commissioner Harris.

“I am particularly pleased to see community Gardaí being chosen as some of the first recipients. The work our community Gardaí do is important to build relations between people and An Garda Síochána, and is a key to preventing crime and ensuring Gardaí remain in touch with the communities they police.

“JP Durkin will be particularly well known for his work with communities in the Dún Laoghaire area, and I was delighted to join the Minister for Justice today as JP was presented with his medal.”

When the State was founded in 1922, one of the great achievements of that first government, and Minister for Justice Kevin O’Higgins, was to establish an un-armed police force.

Thousands of people across Ireland have dedicated their working lives to An Garda Síochána since then, protecting our communities and keeping our people safe.

As part of a wider programme of national initiatives under the Decade of Centenaries Programme, to commemorate the establishment of An Garda Síochána in its centenary year, Minister for Justice, Helen McEntee TD said “I take great pride in the important work that Garda members and staff undertake throughout this country each and every day. I want to take this opportunity to thank them, and their predecessors, for the vital work that they have done, and will continue to do, to keep this country safe.”