Gardaí Remembered at Dublin Castle Service

Why this is here: Garda Ciarán Jones died in 2011 after he went to warn motorists about an unstable bridge during a storm in County Wicklow.

Ninety members of An Garda Síochána killed in the line of duty were honored at a service held at Dublin Castle, Ireland. Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly and Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan attended alongside family and friends. A remembrance medal went to the family of Garda Kevin Flatley, who died last year when struck by a motorcycle during a checkpoint.

Sheila McKeown remembered Garda Ciarán Jones, who died in 2011 while warning drivers about an unstable bridge. Michael Duffy paid tribute to Garda David Dowd, his best friend and colleague, killed by a train in 1989 while responding to a call. Jim and Francis Connolly honored Garda Denis Connolly, a young hurler killed in a traffic collision.

The service also remembered Garda Paul Reid, killed while serving with UN peacekeepers in Sarajevo in 1995. The names of all fallen officers are inscribed in the Garda Memorial Garden, but the emotional toll on families remains. The annual service continues to offer support and remembrance.