Letters to the Editor: There should be no delay awarding posthumous Scott medals
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I was delighted to see four members of An Garda Síochána in Donegal receiving their Scott medals after risking their lives in the course of their duties.
There are I’m sure many other members who on that night in 2020 also risked their lives in the village of Glenties when a man ran amok shooting at everyone and everything, but sadly have not been recognised with this award.
We tend to forget the risks frontline gardaí take each and every day in order that we remain safe against all forms of antisocial behaviour, criminality, and terrorism.
Sadly, the powers that be in Garda HQ and those who oversee the awarding of Scott medals have delayed these awards to some frontline gardaí who were killed in the line of duty, seriously injured, or who risked their lives.
This medal is awarded to gardaí for the “most exceptional bravery and heroism involving the risk of life in the execution of duty”.
Only recently, after more than 40 years, a retired detective, Garda Donal Kelleher — who was involved in the search of Derrada Woods in 1983, where businessman Don Tidey was being held captive, and was shot in both legs by the IRA — is only now receiving his Scott medal. This terrible tragedy saw Recruit Garda Gary Sheehan and Private Patrick Kelly being murdered by the IRA.
Two gardaí in Sligo who were kidnapped at gunpoint in 1983 are only now receiving their awards after over 40 years.
Back here in Donegal we had two young gardaí killed in the line of duty in 2009. They were Garda Robbie McCallion and Garda Gary McLaughlin. Both risking their lives after responding to calls in their respective districts.
I knew Garda Robbie, as he was known, as I was his supervising sergeant.
I wrote to the Garda authorities seeking the Scott medal to be awarded to the family of Garda McCallion and, to this date, I have heard nothing from them.
It is hard to imagine the loss of a colleague and well-respected member of the force who puts themselves in harm’s way, but it is even harder to imagine that some faceless bureaucrats sitting in Garda HQ deciding on the merits of whether gardaí like Garda McCallion or Garda McLaughlin will meet the necessary criteria to be awarded this prestigious award.
I can’t imagine those in the offices of Garda HQ who decide on the merits or demerits of any award risking their lives like those of the Gardaí aforementioned. Why the delay in awarding these families of these brave but deceased members this posthumous award?
Regarding nursing homes: It’s not a fair deal when a young farmer has been forced to sell a large part of his holdings to get his wife into one of those homes. She was 52 when she passed away eight months ago leaving her wounded family behind. The dad needed the whole farm to provide for them all.
We helped to get a local councillor involved, along with Highland Radio here in Donegal, and ultimately the man only had to pay about €49 weekly until she shortly passed away, leaving young kids. The only support they got was from good friends of the family.
Fair deal my backside.
I am chair of the Friends of Lifford Community Hospital who have been fighting hard for over 25 years to now get a new 25-bed unit plus primary care centre and all out services on a new site.
We now see a positive way forward in that the HSE and Donegal County Council have got a site for our new community hospital, something that is down to the very hard and brave campaign we ran and still run up here.
We met Micheál Martin a few times over the years in Dublin and here in Lifford — all I can say is that our jury is out on him.
So good luck to the groups fighting for the best care for their loved ones. If you fall out with the politicians then you know you’re winning.
Cork’s senior hurlers are now finished for 2023 in May, having lost by one point to the All-Ireland and National League champions, lost to Clare by one point, drawn against Tipperary, and won against Waterford — while a team like Offaly (no disrespect but...) are still alive. This surely exposes the lie that is the current format.
With five top teams in Munster, Galway, then maybe three top teams in Leinster (Kilkenny, Wexford, and now Dublin) — that is the top tier.
Throw these nine teams into a full blown round robin format. Then extend the season to give the games maximum TV exposure, rather than the pick-and-choose lottery of the current merry-go-round of RTÉ v GAAGO v highlights.
The remainder — Antrim, Laois, Offaly... Don’t know. Kerry, God help us.
Interesting that, just when Russia’s so-called special military operation is stalling, and Ukraine is getting the upper hand, Putin’s regime is lashing out at soft civilian targets, launching waves of drones, most of which, thankfully, are being shot out of the sky by heroic anti-aircraft crews.
If that sounds a bit familiar to students — or even casual readers — of history it’s because it recalls how the Nazi regime also launched its V1s and V2s in the closing months of the Second World War — the last sting of a monstrous dying wasp, with apologies to the much-maligned insect.
I wonder though if this war will be followed by trials akin to the ones convened at Nuremberg in 1946.
Russia’s despotic government back then wanted all the Nazi leaders and even low-ranking Wehrmacht officers not directly involved in war crimes to be hanged or shot in the aftermath of Germany’s defeat.
Will the present-day autocrats in Moscow submit themselves to a similar tribunal to pass judgment on their conduct of the war against Ukraine?
I’m against the death penalty, whatever the crime, but I hope that those who have ordered the murder of civilians, or participated in the deliberate unlawful killing, ill-treatment or abduction of Ukrainians during Putin’s unprovoked and illegal invasion will be held accountable before an internationally recognised court of justice.
After all, what’s sauce for the Nazi goose must also be sauce for the Russian gander.