A number of Members want to express a vote of sympathy with the relatives of the late Detective Garda Jerry McCabe.
Death of Garda: Expression of Sympathy.
I propose a vote of sympathy to the wife and family of the late Detective Garda Jerry McCabe. I pay tribute to his work in the Garda Síochána. This was an appalling tragedy and a terrible act perpetrated against Garda McCabe and, by extension, against the institutions of the State.
It is difficult to convey the feelings of grief in Adare and surrounding areas over the weekend. The initial disbelief and shock gave way to anger and outrage at those who took Garda McCabe's life. There was a massive outpouring of sympathy in the area to his widow and family.
Detective Garda McCabe was an exemplary member of the Garda Síochána as well as being a great family man. He was a good neighbour and was known and loved throughout Limerick city and surrounding areas. The outpouring of sympathy by tens of thousands of people on the streets of Limerick for his funeral demonstrated the deep sympathy and love local people had for him.
He died while carrying out his duty. He exemplified what is best in the Garda Síochána, a Force that has served the State since its foundation in 1922. I also wish to extend our condolences to Garda McCabe's colleagues in Limerick city as well as to the Garda Commissioner and to the Force generally. I wish Detective Garda Ben O'Sullivan a quick recovery to full health and a speedy return to duty.
Our thoughts are with Detective Garda McCabe's widow, Ann, and his children, John, Mark, Ian, Stacy and Ross. Jerry McCabe died carrying out a noble duty.
On behalf of the Fianna Fáil group, I extend deep sympathy to the wife and family of the late Detective Garda Jerry McCabe. I also extend sympathy to the Garda Síochána as a whole and wish Detective Garda Ben O'Sullivan a quick recovery.
I condemn out of hand the callous execution that took place last Friday and hope the efforts of the Garda Síochána will result in those who perpetrated the murder being brought to justice. That is the wish of every person I met over the weekend. I sincerely hope the Garda Síochána's good work will lead to convictions for this murder.
The Independent Senators also wish to be associated with the remarks that have been made. The beautiful and picturesque village of Adare is always a joy to drive through and a lovely place to stop, but its memory will be forever sullied by this heartless and vicious act which showed a total disregard for life.
In extending our sympathy to Detective Garda McCabe's widow and family, we should also recognise that the murder of a garda in the course of his duty, in effect, wounds the very heart of democracy and undermines the principle of law and order as determined by the people. Therefore, it behoves every one of us in public life to be absolutely unrestrained and uninhibited in our condemnation of this act which strikes a blow against the ordinary people. I hope his family can recover to some extent from this tragedy. I also extend our sympathies to his colleagues.
On behalf of the Progressive Democrats I offer our sympathy to the wife and family of the late Garda McCabe and to his colleagues in the Garda. We hope his colleague, Garda Ben O'Sullivan, will be quickly restored to full health.
We share the tremendous sense of outrage that has gripped the country as a result of this barbarity. It cannot be described as anything other than cold-blooded, bloody minded murder. It is very difficult to come to terms with the fact that two gardaí sitting in a car in the street of a quiet country town were wantonly gunned down. Our sense of outrage extends to bewilderment that Sinn Féin cannot find it in their hearts to condemn this activity on the curious supposition that the people responsible for it had nothing to do with them and, therefore, cannot be condemned. On the one hand, Sinn Féin finds it impossible to condemn people who are in the IRA and now it finds it impossible to condemn people who are not in the IRA. It is about time the semantic gymnastics we have witnessed over the recent days were abandoned and people got down to the serious business of creating peace. That is the peace for which Garda McCabe laid down his life.
We should recall on these occasions that it is people like Garda McCabe, the Garda and the Army, who are the thin line between democracy and anarchy. We owe them a great debt.
On behalf of the Labour Party, I extend our sympathy to Ann McCabe, the family of Jerry McCabe and to the Garda Síochána. I attended the funeral in Limerick yesterday. I knew Jerry McCabe and I know Ben O'Sullivan. Anybody who saw the streets of Limerick on the night of the removal of Jerry McCabe's body and at the funeral yesterday will realise that the people of Limerick were speaking for the people of Ireland by coming out in their thousands and standing for many hours to pay tribute to a garda who was killed in action. Many of them did not know the McCabe family or anybody involved but they came to express the view that violence should have no role in this country.
I support Senator Dardis's call on Sinn Féin to condemn this murder. Saying that one does not support the politics of condemnation is no excuse. Anybody who is active in politics can surely extend themselves to condemn the killing of a garda on duty. Sinn Féin should unequivocally condemn this action, as the Seanad does today. Garda Ben O'Sullivan won the Scott medal for bravery. When I was mayor of Limerick I had the honour of receiving him in the mayor's office and hearing his account of how he won the medal. It was a matter of fact, brave account of how he disarmed a man who was terrorising motorists. That is an indication of the type of man Ben O'Sullivan is and Jerry McCabe was. Killing a garda on duty who is protecting the peace and safety of society must be condemned outright.
I wish Ben O'Sullivan a speedy return to health.
On behalf of Democratic Left, I wish to be associated with the sentiments that have been expressed. The gunning down of Garda McCabe was a violent act carried out on the streets of the small village of Adare. At a time when trojan work is being done for peace in this country, committing such an act was outrageous. I wish Garda O'Sullivan a speedy recovery. He has connections in Mallow and is a man of tremendous worth and merit, as we have seen from his record.
It is the practice to hear one spokesperson from each group. However, Senator Rory Kiely wishes to make a contribution and, as he is a Limerick man, I will allow him to do so.
As a Limerick Senator, with Senator Neville and Senator O'Sullivan, I wish to be associated with the expressions of sympathy on the death of Detective Garda Jerry McCabe, whom I had the pleasure of meeting some time ago. It was an atrocious act to gun down two gardaí in the course of their duty. I join with Senator Dardis and Senator O'Sullivan in condemning this action unreservedly. I know members of his family and I am very friendly with his brother-in-law. I was at the funeral on Sunday evening. People turned out that night to pay their respects and to sympathise with Jerry McCabe's widow and family, and also to send a message they do not want violence in this country. I wish Detective Garda Ben O'Sullivan a speedy recovery.
I join with the views expressed by Members, which will be conveyed to the McCabe family and the Garda Commissioner. We will now stand for a minute's silence.
Members rose in their places.