SÍOCHÁIN ANY PENSION PRESENTS UNDER THE TREE THIS YEAR? HO! HO! HO! DATES FOR YOUR DIARY AGM 2018 SCHEDULE GSRMA SOCIAL OUTINGS HOME AND AWAY SHORT STORY COMPETITION WINNERS FOR 2017 Winter 2017 WINTERISSN 1649-5896 2015 ISSN 1649-5896 www.gardaretired.com EDITORIAL COMMENT WILL JUSTICE FINALLY BE SERVED? Pension restoration has taken a back seat while the ‘circus’ in Merrion Street plays out. All of this confusion does not do our cause for pension adjustment any good, writes GSRMA General Secretary Paschal Feeney. Here he says that greater levels of transparency, accountability, professionalism, fairness and justice are now needed. s retired members pedal. So, let no one tell you Aof An Garda otherwise – it was personal Síochána, we know all and very personal; they simply too well that everything wanted her head, and they were that goes on in Garda never going to rest until they Headquarters is known achieved their objective. immediately, and more While all of this is going often in advance at on, the work within An Garda Department of Justice Síochána has not stopped, on the Green. In fact, not even been put on hold any Minister for Justice or paused. In fact, absolutely of the day, who did not fantastic results are being know what was going achieved in relation to gangland on, was not worth their criminality, and other crimes. ‘weight in salt’. However, very little At the same time the acknowledgement is being given Minister for Justice of to the members of the Force for the day must keep the all of this in the face of political Taoiseach of the day fully briefed, as to happenings, and adversity. Political adversity it is. As retired members so the hunt continues. The talk on the street is who ‘Will of An Garda Síochána it is extremely difficult to listen the next casualty be?’, rather than ‘Will there be another to the rhetoric from groups such as Sinn Fein who are casualty?’ in terms of political life. advocating transparency, accountability, professionalism, In Ireland we do not do responsibility very well. We fairness and justice. look to our nearest neighbours in UK, and when a scandal Justice especially for Maurice McCabe, and we in the is revealed the Minister of the day, is gone within 24 Garda Síochána Retired Members’ Association sincerely hours. In Ireland we immediately look to see if we can find hope that Maurice shall get the justice he deserves. Let’s a fall guy to hang the blame on! This person has been hope those making the most public statements do not identified, and by coincidence someone that was coming cross the line, and enter into the realms of matters which up to retirement. the Charleton Tribunal, are clearly tasked to deal with, Contrast all of this with the treatment handed out to and they alone. retired Commissioner Nóirín O’Sullivan. She was harassed Pity Sinn Fein did not show the same resolve of and bullied out of office. Commissioner O’Sullivan was openness, transparency, fairness and justice, when before more Overseeing Committees than anyone else in members of their organisation were involved in the brutal public life. murder of another McCabe – Detective Garda Jerry When Commissioner O’Sullivan announced her McCabe, when gunned down in Adare in June 1996. retirement and when those out to get her realised the Openness and transparency, not to mention justice were consequences, they immediately took the foot off the nowhere to be found. Síocháin 1 CONTENTS The Official Magazine of the Garda Síochána Retired Members’ Association Winter 2017 Volume 46 • Issue 4 • ISSN 1649-5896 4 CHRISTMAS GREETINGS for a time when you may not be when played at speed and executed • President of Ireland Michael D. in a position to make decisions with side step and body swerve – Higgins personally and may be in need of was initiated by Sean Lavan, a Mayo • GSRMA President Matt support. doctor from Kiltimagh, who was Cosgrave the Garda Surgeon for many years, • Acting Garda Commissioner writes Tony Ruane. Dónall Ó Cualáin 69 WORLD POLICE GAMES • Minister for Justice & Equality Having participated in 11 World Charles Flanagan TD Police and Fire Games (WPFG) and 99 LOVELY LEITRIM • Garda Chaplain Fr Joe Kennedy bagging 19 medals along the way, The famous ballad ‘Lovely Leitrim’ retired Sgt George Maybury has tells the story of an Irish emigrant been inducted into the WPFG Hall with dreams of travelling back to 17 ASSOCIATION NEWS of Fame 2017. visit the many sights of his beautiful home county, writes Pascal Brennan. 40 IN-HOUSE REPORT 102 WEIGHTS & MEASURES 45 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Weights and Measures (W&M) duties disappeared in the late 1990s when the functions were 48 SHORT STORY taken over by the Metrology COMPETITION Section of the Department of Prizes were presented to four short Industry and Commerce. Patrick story winners in early November, Farragher revisits the changeover to marking the second year of the 77 LIAM GILMARTIN the metric system. GSRMA competition that is proving Liam Gilmartin, one of the stars on very popular amongst members. Roscommon’s All-Ireland winning 109 ROBERT HOLOHAN team of 1943, talks to Tim Doyle Trevor Laffan looks back on the about those heady times decades unnecessary international media ago and the players he most attention in the wake of that phone admired during his playing career. call he made to the priest, following the discovery of the body of the young boy from Midleton, Co. Cork 87 FOLKLORE TALES who had been missing for over a Time will tell if this Ireland’s new week in early January 2005. cosmopolitan population will dilute our storytelling culture or GSRMA SOCIAL OUTINGS THE FAMILY CARER 57 if it will bring a flavour of several 112 George Oliver has found that carers backgrounds and histories, writes carry out their duties diligently in a Denis Falahee. 61 ELDER ABUSE professional and caring manner. It Patricia Rickard-Clarke, Chair of the is a noble calling, as he found out National Safeguarding Committee, 95 THE SOLO RUN in 2015 on discovering that his wife outlines how to plan in advance The ‘solo run’ – a thrilling spectacle Bernadette would need full-time 2 Síocháin CONTENTS care after being diagnosed with 122 COMMUNITY & CHARITY Motor Neuron Disease. GSRMA EDITORIAL 126 BOOK REVIEWS BOARD 116 SENIORS ALERT SCHEME The new Seniors Alert Scheme Paschal Feeney (Editor & General Secretary) has been relaunched to provide 130 MEMORABILIA PAGE older people with a free personal monitored alarm to enable them to live in their homes with 131 MEMBERSHIP FORM independence and peace of mind. 133 OBITUARY NOTICES 117 SILVER SURFER AWARDS Nominations are open for the 2018 Open eir Silver Surfer Awards, which 140 HEALTH & WELLBEING will once again serve to recognise the online achievements of older Billy Saunderson people using technology, as well 141 GSRMA 2018 AGM LIST as the volunteers who teach these skills to thousands of older people 148 ARCHIVE SNAPSHOTS across Ireland. 150 CROSSWORD 121 BLOOD TRANSFUSION Ireland’s Blood Transfusion Service is calling on all Gardaí to 153 POETRY CORNER assist them in appealing for more blood donations from the local Joe Ward communities. 156 BULLETIN BOARD 160 NOTICEBOARD Garda Síochána Retired SÍOCHÁIN is published by Ocean Publishing, 14 Upper Fitzwilliam Street, Dublin 2. Tel: 01-6785165; Members’ Association, Email: [email protected] Website: www.oceanpublishing.ie GSRMA House, Managing Director: Patrick Aylward 5 Harrington Street, In-House Editor: Grace Heneghan In-House Designer: Catherine Doyle Dublin 8. PRESS CONCIL OF IRELAND Tel: 01-4781525 SIOCHAIN is a full participating member of the Press Council of Ireland and supports the office of the Press Fax: 01-4785127 Ombandsman. In addition to defending the freedom of the press, the scheme offers readers a quick, fair and free method of dealing with complaints that they may have in relation to articles that appear on our pages. To contact Email: [email protected] the office of the Press Ombudsman visit www.pressombudsman.ie or www.presscouncil.ie or LoCall 1890 208 080. Website: www.gardaretired.com The views expressed in SIOCHAIN, unless expressly stated, do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editor, the Editorial Board, the GSRMA, Ocean Publishing, the Garda Commissioner or An Garda Síochána. Opinions expressed by the authors and services offered by advertisers are not specifically endorsed by the GSRMA. All rights reserved. YOU CAN ALSO FOLLOW US ON No part of SIOCHAIN may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means without the written permission Facebook www.facebook.com/GardaRetired from the Editorial Board and the Publisher. Copyright © 2016 Ocean Publishing Twitter www.twitter.com/GardaRetired Síocháin 3 CHRISTMAS MESSAGE MEMBERS MAKE AN IMMENSE CONTRIBUTION I would like to send my best wishes to the members of the Garda Síochána Retired Members’ Association, and to your families and friends, as we celebrate the Christmas season. The members of An Garda Síochána, past and present, make an immense contribution to our society. I hope that each of you, as you look back at careers dedicated to the public service and to the common good, do so in a spirit of pride in the contribution you have made to our country. I know that today many of you continue to contribute your time, skills and expertise to your communities and for that I thank you. Christmas is a time of joy and anticipation, when we reflect on the year gone by and look forward to the year to come. This festive season can also be, for those who have been bereaved or who remember loved ones who are no longer with us, a time of sadness and loneliness.