SÍOCHÁIN GSRMA TRIBUTES TO A FALLEN HERO DETECTIVE GARDA COLM HORKAN (13 Dec 1970 – 17 June 2020) Autumn 2020 WINTER 2015 ISSN 1649-5896 ISSN 1649-5896 www.gardaretired.com SCAN QR CODE FOR MEMBERS’ AREA THINKING HOME IMPROVEMENT? A Home Improvement loan will brighten your day. Up to €75,000 - available now and approved within 24 hrs. 4.25% variable (4.33% APR). EMAIL: WEB: [email protected] www.straphaelscu.ie Lending criteria, terms and conditions apply. Credit facilities are subject to repayment capacity and financial status and are not available to persons under 18 years of age. Security may be required. A typical €30,000 five year loan with a variable interest rate of 4.25% and 4.33% APR (Annual Percentage Rate), where the APR does not vary during the term, would have monthly repayments of €555.89 and the total cost of credit (the total amount repayable less the amount of the loan) would be €3,353.20. Warning - If you do not meet the repayments on your credit agreement, your account will go into arrears. This may affect your credit rating, which may limit your ability to access credit in the future. EDITORIAL COMMENT GSRMA’S MANTRA FOR PENSION PARITY We continue to strive for our three-fold requirements of Parity, Representation and Restoration, which must form part of our mantra as talks for a new successor to the PSSA get under way. The economic situation in Ireland and globally will have a part to play post Covid-19 and our demands and our mantra must remain in place. midnight on the 17 June 2020. We remember Colm in this edition as we do other fallen colleagues and friends. Let us hope that we will be able to get together to remember all our deceased members and friends who have passed to their eternal reward. As you will be aware, the Public Sector Stability Agreement (PSSA) runs out at the end of this year and Joe Dirwan from the Central Committee has an update in this edition on the final benefits that will accrue to some of our members – not all unfortunately. We still continue to strive for our three-fold requirements of Parity, Representation and Restoration – these three words must form part of our mantra as talks for a new successor to the PSSA get under way. The economic situation in Ireland and globally will have a part to play post Covid-19 and our demands and our mantra must remain in place. If parity ceases in December 2020, as utumn has arrived and as we head into the Winter outlined in the PSSA, will we ever get it back? Aseason, the dreaded coronavirus is still with us. Our The GSRMA have initiated an exciting project in the members have not met at monthly meetings or coffee run-up to the 100th Anniversary of the establishment of An mornings since last March at least – how long more will this Garda Síochána in 1922, and details are contained in this go on? edition. Again, we ask you to play your part by contributing I’ll tell you how long… until we have suppressed this virus to its success and enjoy our 100th Birthday in 2022. and there is a vaccine available. When will this be? Well now, I know that this Editorial contains multi-topics for this the answer to this question is a tad trickier! quarter and it’s important that we adopt a holistic approach Unfortunately, we must forego our meetings or coffee to these four topics. We are/were those members who have, mornings and limit our social activities in the meantime – we during our service, visited many dark places and experienced know that it’s for the best in the long run and in the absence dark times in the pursuit of justice and in our delivery of of better advice – so be it. policing services to our communities, both nationally and Let’s continue to play our part by keeping safe, keeping internationally. well and keeping in remote contact with our branches and We deserve to be financially linked with our serving members. We must continue to play our part by following colleagues in the run-up to our anniversary in 2022 and the advice of the HSE and the NPHET team and when the beyond, all the while remembering that there are those virologists come up with the vaccine, the whole world will esteemed members who cannot avail of these benefits breathe a collective sigh of relief - hopefully this will be soon. having paid the ultimate sacrifice for the People of Ireland. In November, which is known as a month for remembrances, we will sadly add another name to the Roll of Mick Lernihan Honour in An Garda Síochána. It is that of Colm Horkan RIP, Editor so cruelly murdered in Castlerea, Co. Roscommon towards Autumn 2020 Síocháin 1 SÍOCHÁIN GSRMA TRIBUTES TO A FALLEN HERO DETECTIVE GARDA COLM HORKAN CONTENTS (13 Dec 1970 – 17 June 2020) The Official Magazine of the Garda Síochána Retired Members’ Association Autumn 2020 WINTER 2015 ISSN 1649-5896 ISSN 1649-5896 www.gardaretired.com SCAN QR CODE FOR MEMBERS’ AREA Autumn 2020 Cover: Liam Reynolds, Volume 49 • Issue 3 • ISSN 1649-5896 Castlerea DISCLAIMER: The opinions and viewpoints expressed by the authors and contributors in this publication do not necessarily reflect the opinions and viewpoints of ‘Síocháin’ nor the GSRMA. 5 ASSOCIATION NEWS IN MEMORY OF D/GARDA COLM HORKAN (RIP) 27 MICK’S MESSAGES 39 17 June 2020 will be forever etched in the minds of Colm Horkan’s family and friends, and will be carried LETTERS TO THE EDITOR 29 in infamy by An Garda Síochána and the GSRMA, says Mick Lernihan. 36 PENSION REPORT 40 On 21 June 2020, GSRMA Branch Latest updates by Joe Dirwan, Members attended memorial services GSRMA Central Committee at Garda Stations around the country in honour of the late D/Garda Colm Horkan. GARDA COMMEMORATIONS 49-52 Retired Inspector John th 43 • 20 anniversary of deaths of Duffy (Dublin West Branch), Gardaí Gareth Harmon and who had known Colm since Conor Griffin is marked by his childhood, writes that his opening of Memorial Garden legacy of love, courage and to Finglas. generosity to his family, Garda • Detective Garda Seamus Quaid colleagues and many friends – 40th Anniversary of his death will live on in perpetuity. on 11 October. • Garda Richard Fallon – 44 Retired Sgt John Hynes (Roscommon Branch), who knew plaque erected to mark 50th Colm not only as a colleague but also as a brilliant investigator and anniversary of his death on 22 a very loyal close friend, bids a final farewell to “one of nature’s true July. gentlemen in every respect”. • Garda Henry Byrne and Detective Garda John Morley – from St Michael’s Rowing Club in 54 JOHN O’CONNOR 40th anniversary held on 7 July. Retired Community Policing Limerick – fondly recalls the 1970 Sergeant John O’Connor talks to regatta on the River Barrow in 53 COVID-19 RESPONSE Trevor Laffan, Cork City Branch, Carlow when his team recorded a Time to re-evaluate the State’s over about what influenced him to join memorable victory over the Garda reliance on a ‘one size fits all’ model the Gardaí, a question he was Boat Club in Dublin. of care for the elderly through asked hundreds of times during his private and public nursing home service. 58 THE LAST WITNESS models, says Joe Dirwan, Central 15 October 1970 was a poignant Committee and Monaghan Branch, 57 RIVER BARROW REGATTA day for two families in Baltinglass and claims the GSRMA need to Michael Murphy, Limerick City Co. Wicklow, losing loved ones advocate for the elderly to ensure Branch – one of eight crew through an unimaginable change takes place. members of the senior team misadventure, writes John Mullins, 2 Síocháin CONTENTS Wexford Branch, the last official 76 SHORT STORY – UNLEARNED witness of the tragedy with the 50th By Thomas J. Coen, Roscommon Anniversary taking place later this Branch GSRMA EDITORIAL year. BOARD 79 TRAVEL ADVENTURES Mick Lernihan 60 FINGERPRINT EXPERT Cyril Meehan, Donegal North, went (Editor & General Secretary) The career of the late Detective on some adventures of a lifetime to Sergeant Charlie Gaffney, who was France, Germany, Bavaria, Belgium, responsible for solving 21 murders Holland, Sweden and Norway, a few during his career as a member of short years after his retirement in the Fingerprint Section in Garda 2013. Headquarters, is lauded here by Noel Hynes, Naas Branch. 83 ST PAUL’S DRAW WINNERS Billy Saunderson 67 BISHOP BROWNE’S BAN 85 GSRMA SOCIAL OUTINGS Matt Cosgrave, Dublin North Branch, says the story of the removal of 88 MEMORABILIA PAGE the Saturday night dancing ban in 1968 by Bishop Browne of Galway 89 MEMBERSHIP FORM will bring back memories for older readers who remember those 93 OBITUARY NOTICES ‘Cinderella’ days. John O’Brien 102 BOOK REVIEWS 68 LOOK BACK – NED TOBIN Having enjoyed a remarkable career 104 ARCHIVE SNAPSHOTS that included several Irish and world records in throwing events 110 AUTUMN CROSSWORD along with 37 national titles, Ned Tobin accomplished all of this 113 IN THE FRAME while working full time in An Garda Michael Coleman Síochána, writes Christopher Warner. 115 POETRY CORNER 72 SHORT STORY – HOLLY TREE 120 BULLETIN BOARD By Patrick McCarthy, Dublin North Branch 124 NOTICEBOARD SÍOCHÁIN is published by Ocean Publishing, 14 Upper Fitzwilliam Street, Dublin 2. Tel: 01-6785165; Garda Síochána Retired Members’ Email: [email protected] Website: www.oceanpublishing.ie Association, Managing Director: Patrick Aylward GSRMA House, In-House Editor: Grace Heneghan In-House Designer: John Sheridan 5 Harrington Street, Dublin 8.