The Garda Commissioner awarded 13 Scott Medals for bravery to deceased and serving members of An Garda Síochána at a ceremony in Dubhlinn Gardens, Dublin Castle this morning.
The Garda being honoured today include 3 posthumous awards to Garda that were involved in a search of IRA training Headquarters, Rathgar Road, Dublin on 16th August 1940. Gold Scott Medals will be posthumously awarded to Detective Garda Richard Hyland (killed at the scene), Detective Sergeant Patrick McKeown (died the following day from gunshot wounds received) and Detective Garda Michael Brady (survived gunshot wounds) who will now be honored along with their colleagues Detective Robert Mulally and Detective Garda Richard Wilmott (both previously awarded Gold Scott Medals).
A Silver Scott Medal will be awarded to Detective Inspector Richard Fahy and a Bronze Scott Medal will be awarded to Detective Garda Brian Coade (retired) in respect their involvement in the release of John O Grady on the 5th November 1987 following his kidnap by INLA on 13th October 1987.
8 Bronze medals will be awarded to other Garda for service in the period from 2005 to 2018
The Scott Medal is the highest award that can be bestowed by the Commissioner of An Garda Síochána and is awarded for ‘most exceptional bravery and heroism involving the risk of life in the execution of duty’.
In 1923, Colonel Walter Scott, an Honorary Commissioner of the New York City Police and a wellknown philanthropist, presented An Garda Síochána, then the world’s youngest Police Force, with a $1,000 gold bond, the interest of which was to pay for an 18-carat gold medal to be presented to the Garda who had performed the most heroic act of bravery in any one year. There was only one condition attached to the award of the Scott Medal: “No action, however heroic, will merit the award of the Scott medal unless it takes the shape of an act of personal bravery, performed intelligently in the execution of duty at imminent risk to the life of the doer, and armed with full previous knowledge of the risk involved”.
