Brian Connaughton (8 October 1899 – 26 March 1983),
Garda Síochána
(; meaning "the Guardian(s) of the Peace") is the national police and security service of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is more commonly referred to as the Gardaí (; "Guardians") or "the Guards". The service is headed by the Garda Commissio ...
and recipient of the
Scott Medal
The Walter Scott Medal for Valor is a medal awarded for acts of bravery by the Garda Síochána.
It is not a state award, being in the gift of the Garda Commissioner.
History
The Garda medal was instituted at the behest of Colonel Walter Scott ...
.
Background
Connaughton was a native of Ballinglas,
Mountbellew
Mountbellew or Mountbellew Bridge (historically ''Creggaun'', from ) is a town in County Galway, Ireland. It lies mostly within the townland of Treanrevagh (''Trian Riabhach'') on the N63 national primary road. As of the 2022 census, it had a ...
,
County Galway
County Galway ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Northern and Western Region, taking up the south of the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht. The county population was 276,451 at the 20 ...
. Prior to joining the Gardaí he had been a farmer, enlisting as Gard 4447.
Incident at Drumshambo
He and Sergeant Michael Mullane were serving at
Drumshambo,
County Leitrim
County Leitrim ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht and is part of the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the village of Leitrim, County Leitr ...
in 1930 when ''"with great perseverance, they tracked down two armed men, members of an illegal organization"'', arresting the men and seizing three rifles.
Mullane and Connaughton were respectively awarded the gold and silver
Scott Medal
The Walter Scott Medal for Valor is a medal awarded for acts of bravery by the Garda Síochána.
It is not a state award, being in the gift of the Garda Commissioner.
History
The Garda medal was instituted at the behest of Colonel Walter Scott ...
from James Fitzgerald-Kenney,
Minister of Justice
A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice, is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...
, on 28 July 1931. They were the 18th and 19th members of the force to receive the award since its inception in 1923.
Later life
Connaughton retired with the rank of Sergeant, retiring on 14 March 1965. He died in 1983.
See also
*
Yvonne Burke (Garda)
*
Henry L. Smith
*
Deaths of Henry Byrne and John Morley
Henry Byrne and John Francis Morley, John Morley, two officers of the Garda Síochána, the police force of the Republic of Ireland, were murdered on 7 July 1980 by alleged members of the Irish National Liberation Army (INLA). The off ...
(1980)
*
Death of Jerry McCabe
Detective Garda Jerry McCabe (22 November 1943 – 7 June 1996) was a member of the Garda Síochána, the national police force of Ireland. McCabe was killed in Adare, County Limerick on 7 June 1996, by members of the Provisional IRA, during the ...
(1996)
*
Death of Adrian Donohoe
Adrian Donohoe (14 January 1972 – 25 January 2013) was an Irish detective in the Garda Síochána (Irish police) based at Dundalk Garda Station in County Louth, who was fatally shot in Bellurgan (near Jenkinstown, County Louth) on 25 Januar ...
(2013)
References
* ''An Garda Síochána and the Scott Medal'', Gerard O'Brien,
Four Courts Press
Four Courts Press is an independent Irish academic publishing house, with its office at Malpas Street, Dublin 8, Ireland.
Founded in 1970 by Michael Adams, who died in February 2009, its early publications were primarily theological, notably ...
, 2008.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Connaughton, Brian
1899 births
1983 deaths
Garda Síochána officers
20th-century Irish farmers
People from Mountbellew
Recipients of the Scott Medal
Police officers from County Galway