EDITORIAL FULL RESTORATION OF PUBLIC SECTOR PENSIONS NOW! The GSRMA was never part of this pay talks deal in the first place, be it at Croke Park or Haddington Road, according to General Secretary Paschal Feeney who is now calling on the Government to restore public sector pensions in full, with effect from January 2016. ith ‘Síocháin’ going to press in mid-June, we did not The Alliance of Retired Public Servants delegation met Whave the exact details beforehand in how the recent with officials in the days immediately after the deal was ‘Pay Deal’ would impact on our pension restoration aim. announced, and what Minister Howlin now states: “it is my The much anticipated Spring Statement was launched intention as a matter of priority to move towards reducing on a typical April day. Typical in that the day had all four the burden of the public service pension reduction, with seasons one, as is the custom for many April days in the initial focus on the people in receipt of low pensions, at Ireland. the earliest date economic progress permits”. The PR spin by Government was out ahead of the He said he would envisage that developments in that formal release with the expectations that much would regard would be subject of ongoing bilateral discussions be delivered on the basis of increased revenue Exchequer between his department and the Alliance. The Minister returns for the year end 2014 and for the first quarter of nor his Department have spelled out the timeframe for 2015. any move to restore pension rates nor did it define what However, after the launch, the Government immediately constitutes “low pensions”. cautioned that there would have to be a gradual and In the past when parity was in full play we could measured roll-out of pay restoration to ‘workers’ in the anticipate with a degree of certainty what we would get. public sector. But we’re in a different situation here and uncertainty is We waited and waited to see what words of optimism to the fore. What method is to be used to deliver on this public sector retirees could expect and there was silence. ‘deal’? It is widely anticipated that these new arrangements Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Brendan will mean increasing threshold bands to produce a Howlin, dodged the question a few times when asked maximum partial restotation of about €900 over the two- what of public sector pension restoration. year period or €450 per year. His response to all of those questions was, the financial From talks it is clear the plan is to deliver to every emergency was still in place, but then came the crunch pensioner, but not every pensioner pays full PSPR. The “Government as aware the time was approaching when carrot now introduced is that USC is likewise to be reduced some sectors would go to the courts, and have the in the next Budget. In my view this is not enough on the emergency declared at an end”. pension restoration front, it is simply tinkering around with This is what government were aiming to avoid. We in the maths – give a little here – take more there. the GSRMA had anticipated this. We were never part of this deal in the first place, The Alliance of Retired Public Servants had a series of be it at Croke Park or Haddington Road. So, I call on meetings with Minister Howlin, and the soundings were Government to do the right thing and restore public sector positive. Talks on public sector restoration moved at a pensions in full, with effect from January 2016. pace and a deal has been reached, in respect of serving or Do not give up the fight – continue to lobby – our current employees in the public sector. No such deal or at objective is still the same: Restoration in FULL! least no exact detail in relation to pension restoration is to hand as yet. GSRMA Editorial Board Síocháin 1 CONTENTS Summer 2015 Volume 44 • Issue 2 • ISSN 1649-5896 4 ASSOCIATION NEWS 33 ST PAUL’S GARDA CREDIT UNION 12 IN-HOUSE REPORT 17 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR 45 IRISH CIVIC GUARD The difficulties experienced in CONFERENCE REPORT 20 setting up the new Garda Síochána were outlined by Patrick Campbell, Two of the winners in this year’s one of the first members of the Easter Draw are the son and Civic Guard to Sgt Gregory Allen, daughter of retired Sgt Patrick archivist at the Garda Museum, in McGlynn, from Athboy, Co. Meath. an interview during October 1977. 35 TAXATION MATTERS 53 MATURE REFLECTIONS Report from this year’s Annual Conference in Killarney on 9-10 June. 24 IRELAND MEDAL PRESENTATIONS The bravery and drowning rescue As his maturing years continue to skills displayed by Garda officers advance to the ‘golden autumnal was recently acknowledged by the time of life’ Frank Timoney, Dublin Lifesaving Foundation and the Royal The tax position on the transfer of West Branch, realises that no one Life Saving Society at the Garda assets from one person to another has a monopoly on wisdom! College. is being made complex, due to three different types of gift or 58 WORLD WAR ONE STORIES 31 GARDA MEMORIAL DAY inheritance tax, according to Mary Farrell. 39 HURLING ACHIEVEMENTS Turning back the pages of sporting history to the All-Ireland Hurling Final of 1927 reveals that ten Garda Commissioner Noirín Two families have traced the serving Gardaí were in the starting O’Sullivan joined family members history of their ancestors who were line-up for the participating teams. of Gardaí killed in the line of duty at directly involved in the Great War the Annual Garda Memorial Day on and fighting with the British Forces 16 May. during World War One. 2 Síocháin CONTENTS 61 JERRY McCABE MEMORIAL 69 TRAGEDY IN BOYLE 89 BULLETIN BOARD The case of a Garda family from Boyle, Co. Roscommon, beset by a double tragedy 65 years ago, is 95 NOTICEBOARD recounted here by Harry Keegan, Limerick. GSRMA EDITORIAL 71 GSRMA MEMBERSHIP FORM BOARD In honour of the late Detective Garda Jerry McCabe, Garda Claire Paschal Feeney (Editor & General Secretary) Haugh from Bruff, Co. Limerick, 73 OBITUARY NOTICES organised students from Rathkeale to perform at John Jay Memorial POETRY CORNER College’s annual reception in New 81 York for St Patrick’s Day. 83 IN THE FRAME 63 GARDA CONNECTIONS Tim Bowe Noel Geary, Naas Branch, is a 86 ARCHIVE SNAPSHOTS member of the Geary family who held the record in 1962 for having the most members of one family in An Garda Síochána. KEEP IN TOUCH WITH YOUR ASSOCIATION Noel E. O’Sullivan Our website www.gardaretired.com and 67 PAPAL HONOUR the quarterly ‘Síocháin’ magazine keeps Retired Chief Superintendent Jim members informed of developments across Sullivan, Naas, Co. Kildare, recently the 44 branches. If there are issues or items of interest you would like to see included in the received papal honours with the future, contact the General Secretary, Benemerenti Medal in recognition GSRMA House, 5 Harrington St, Dublin 8; of his dedicated service to the e-mail [email protected] Tony Kennelly church. or phone 01-4781525. SÍOCHÁIN is published by Ocean Publishing,14 Upper Fitzwilliam Street, Dublin 2. Tel: 01-6785165, Fax: 01-6785191; Garda Síochána Retired Email: [email protected], Website: www.oceanpublishing.ie Members’ Association, Ocean GSRMA House, PUBLISHING 5 Harrington Street, 14 upper fitzwilliam street, dublin 2. t: 01 6785165 f: 01 6785191 Dublin 8. Managing Director: Patrick Aylward, Tel: 01-4781525; In-House Editor: Grace Heneghan Fax: 01-4785127; In-House Designer: Catherine Doyle Email: [email protected] The views expressed in SIOCHAIN, unless expressly stated, do not necessarily reflect the views Website: www.gardaretired.com 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 YOU CAN ALSO FOLLOW US ON are not specifically endorsed by the GSRMA. All rights reserved. No part of SIOCHAIN may Facebook www.facebook.com/GardaRetired be reproduced or used in any form or by any means without the written permission from the Twitter www.twitter.com/GardaRetired Editorial Board and the Publisher. Copyright © 2015 Ocean Publishing. Síocháin 3 VATNo IE 6363744G ASSOCIATION NEWS CASTLEBAR BRANCH Congratulations to Bertie Davoren (14320M), Chairman of the Castlebar Branch, on winning €10,000 in the RTE ‘Crack-the-Code’ Viewers’ Game. A native of Eyrecourt near Ballinsloe, Bertie served as Sergeant in Castlebar for many years. Married to Maureen the couple celebrated their 54th wedding anniversary with their seven children: Gerard, Bertie, Mary, Declan, Regina, Damien and Adrian. Three of their family are associated with the force. Gerard is a Detective Garda at Garda Headquarters, Bertie (Junior) a Garda in Loughrea, while Declan is Bertie Davoren (centre) scooped €10,000 on employed with Garda Pulse Unit in Castlebar. RTE’s ‘Crack-The-Code’ game show on 2 May. CORK CITY BRANCH On Wednesday 24 June, Kavanagh Coach Tours Meanwhile, a number of long-serving members were conveyed 49 members from the branch for a four- presented with GSRMA Certificates at Rochestown day tour of Northern Ireland; en route the group Park Hotel on Thursday, 14 May. Photographs can stopped in Drogheda to visit the relics of St Oliver be viewed on the website, while a report will appear Plunkett at St Peter’s Church. The four-day tour in the next issue of Síocháin (Autumn 2015). included a day-long tour of Belfast and a day Congratulations to Retired Detective Garda Jim travelling along the beautiful Antrim Coast.