Eight Scott medals have been awarded today to gardaí for bravery in the line of duty, with three of them awarded posthumously.
The medal is the highest honour that can be bestowed by the Garda Commissioner and is awarded for exceptional heroism involving risk to life.
Minister for Justice Helen McEntee attended the ceremony, which took place in Dublin.
The Scott medals relate to the actions of gardaí in the 1930s, 1940s and up to the present day.
Of the eight medals, two gold and a bronze were awarded posthumously.
These include recognition for the late superintendent John Curtin who was ambushed and shot dead by gunmen at the gates of his home on 21 March 1931.
He was unarmed and had been threatened after he had brought a number of suspects before court in Clonmel, Co Tipperary, for paramilitary activity.
Another gold Scott medal was awarded to Detective Sergeant Denis O'Brien, who was also ambushed and shot dead in Rathfarnham, Dublin, on 9 September 1942.
Det Sgt O'Brien's granddaughter said it was be a poignant and bittersweet day for her family.
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Orla McKeown said today is a day for remembering, as she recalled that her grandfather loved sports, art, his garden, family gatherings and singsongs.
"We are so grateful that he is being honoured," she said.
"It's poignant, it's bittersweet, but it's a day for remembering, and I think also we'd like to remember not just him, but his 88 fallen colleagues, also on the garda roll of honour."
Det Sgt O'Brien, who was known as Dinny to his family, was killed in an IRA ambush 82 years ago today.
Ms McKeown said her mother and aunt lived with lifelong trauma following the death of their father.
She added that her mother realised how important it was to remember her father and wrote down many stories about him
"We are so glad she did," Ms McKeown said, and will be sharing them with family later today.
Garda Morgan Lahiffe was awarded a bronze Scott medal posthumously after he and another garda, Gerry O’Sullivan, tackled three armed raiders at a supermarket in Togher, Co Cork, on 20 August 1971.
They had a gun pointed at them and were forced to retreat after being threatened at gunpoint, but pursued the armed robbers as they tried to escape and they were caught.
More recently in March 2013, Sergeant Niamh Connaughton and Detective Garda Warren Farrell were attacked and had a gun pointed at them after intercepting an armed robbery in Clondalkin in Dublin. They ensured both raiders were arrested.
Garda Timothy McSweeney was recognised for tackling a man with a knife in a house on 24 March 2022, where a woman and children were in fear for their safety.
He was stabbed a number of times but managed to detain the suspect.
Inspector Joseph Finnegan and Sergeant Kieran Flynn were awarded Scott medals for their courage near Lady’s Bay, Béal Deirg, Co Mayo, on 25 October 1997 where a group of people became trapped in a sea cave.
The two gardaí were part of the Garda Underwater Unit that initially rescued three survivors at night, and then went back into the cave the following day where conditions had deteriorated and up to 20ft waves were crashing in and recovered the bodies of two men.
Superintendent Liam Geraghty has said the Scott Medal is the highest honour that can be bestowed by the Garda Commissioner.
Also speaking on Morning Ireland, he said "the bar for a gold Scott Medal is quite a high bar to reach".
"The gold Scott Medal is only awarded in the most extreme of circumstances and the highest level of bravery shown by individual members on duty," he said.
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