A commemorative plaque dedicated to Detective Gerry McCabe was unveiled at the village of Adare this afternoon. The plaque was unveiled by his wife, Anne, and his colleague Ben O'Sullivan, who was injured in the aborted post office raid in the town on 7 June, 1996. Detective McCabe was killed in the raid.
Minister for Justice John O'Donoghue said that it was entirely appropriate that the people of Adare, Limerick and Ireland illustrated they had not forgotten what had happened.
He said that people had to stand up to the forces of evil and terrorism just as Detective McCabe and his colleague had done. He added that the scene at Adare was a grim reminder of what terrorism was and can do.
He said that today's unveiling would be a symbol for the future of the country, "a symbol of peace, unity and courage - courage that Gerry McCabe showed for the peace he respected and for the country he loved".
Gerry McCabe's wife, Anne, said that she hoped political terrorism would become a memory and that people can achieve their ends by peaceful means.
Speaking for the first time publicly about events in Adare, Detective O'Sullivan said that today brought back terrible memories when his life had been torn apart by the bullets which still mark the wall where the shooting happened.
A minute's silence was observed at the beginning of the proceedings in memory of the victims of the terrorist attacks in New York. Jimmy Guerin, brother of the murdered journalist Veronica Guerin, also attended the ceremony.
