Two men who were killed while in service to the State 41 years ago have been honoured at a ceremony in Co Leitrim.
An Garda Síochána unveiled a monument of remembrance in Ballinamore to honour trainee garda Gary Sheehan and Private Patrick Kelly.
Pte Kelly and Mr Sheehan died when IRA kidnappers opened fire after a joint garda and Defence Forces search operation found the hideout where kidnapped businessman Don Tidey was being held in Drumcornan Wood, Ballinamore.
The kidnapping of Mr Tidey brought led to a 23-day search operation, one of the biggest joint search operations ever carried out by gardaí and Irish Defence Forces.
Garda Commissioner Drew Harris and Minister of State at the Department of Justice James Browne unveiled the memorial monument at Ballinamore Garda Station following a remembrance mass at St Patrick's Church.
Mr Sheehan, 23, from Carrickmacross, Co Monaghan died alongside Pte Kelly, a 36-year-old married father of four from Moate, Co Westmeath
Pte Kelly was the first soldier in Ireland to be killed since the Civil War.
His son David said today will be a "very special occasion" for his family.
Mr Kelly said he is delighted the event is happening and that his father is being remembered for "ultimate sacrifice he made" in the general area where he died.
Don Tidey, who was the then Managing Director of Quinnsworth, was released safely after the incident after being held hostage for 23 days.
He was abducted on 24 November 1983.
He was taking his young daughter to school when he was abducted in Rathfarnham, Dublin, by armed members of the IRA posing as members of An Garda Síochána.
Gardaí launched a major nationwide operation to locate Mr Tidey and to identify those involved in his abduction.
The focus of a nationwide search switched to Co Leitrim in mid-December, 1983.
The search involved participation of a significant contingent of gardaí including recruits who recently joined the service but had not yet completed training at the garda college in Templemore, Co Tipperary.
On 16 December 1983, a search was undertaken at Drumcornan Wood near Ballinamore following the receipt of confidential information.
The search was carried out by members of An Garda Síochána, joined by Defence Forces personnel based in Finner Camp, Co Donegal.
Mr Sheehan and Pte Patrick Kelly were part of the joint search party when they were killed by the Provisional IRA kidnappers.
No one was convicted in connection with the deaths of the two men.
Speaking to RTÉ News ahead of the unveiling of the memorial, David Kelly said: "Their father was stolen away from his family, his comrades and his friends.
"My mother was left behind with four young children. We were on the backfoot. It was an extremely difficult time for us.
"We've been mourning his loss ever since and we will be mourning his loss for the rest of our lives. We are immensely proud of him and his sacrifice for his country.
"Both men are being remembered as two heroes of the republic."
We need your consent to load this rte-player contentWe use rte-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage PreferencesFollowing the memorial mass, the Garda Ceremonial Unit and Garda Bandperformed a ceremonial march from the front of St Patrick’s Church to the monument of remembrance at Ballinamore Garda Station.
The unveiling ceremony included addresses from Mr Harris and Mr Browne.
Commissioner Harris paid tribute to Pte Kelly and Mr Sheehan, saying their "sacrifice is etched in stone, just as their loss is etched in our hearts and minds".
He said that he hoped that memorialising the men "provides an opportunity to commemorate their life, mourn their loss, and acknowledge the huge sacrifice they made".
"They paid an eternal price, and so it is right and just that their memories are eternally recognised here in Ballinamore," Mr Harris said.
The monument, he said, "will serve as a permanent reminder of the sacrifice" the men made.
Mr Browne said: "The loss of a garda or a member of our Defence Forces is a tragic and lifelong loss for their family, but it is also felt painfully across both organisations and indeed by the community as a whole".
He added: "I know how deeply this tragedy has been felt by all those who served with Gary and Patrick - all down the years - to this very day."
We need your consent to load this rte-player contentWe use rte-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences
