Ceann Comhairle presents National Bravery Awards for outstanding acts of courage

28th October 2016

The honours are awarded by Comhairle na Mire Gaile – the Deeds of Bravery Council – which was established in 1947 to provide for suitable recognition by the State of deeds of bravery.

The Council, which is chaired by the Ceann Comhairle, includes the Cathaoirleach of Seanad Éireann, the Lord Mayor of Dublin, the Lord Mayor of Cork, the Garda Commissioner, the President of the Association of City & County Councils and the Chairman of the Irish Red Cross.

The Council may award medals in either Gold, Silver or Bronze categories. Certificates of recognition may also be awarded. The Council hopes that this high profile ceremony will draw deserved attention to the brave actions of the recipients and heighten awareness of this national awards scheme generally.

Congratulating the recipients, Ceann Comhairle Seán Ó’ Fearghaíl, said: “I am honoured to present Bravery Awards to this year’s recipients. We are awed by the selflessness and courage of our award winners and in recognising their feats today, we hope to convey our appreciation for their acts. In particular, we remember the great act of courage by Ricky Osagie, who tragically died trying to save two girls who had got into difficulty while swimming. His family accepted a Gold Medal for Bravery in recognition of Ricky’s courage, which is the highest award possible.”

“The great sacrifices made by our recipients deserve to be celebrated and recognised and today we thank each of them for their heroism.\"

•    Ricky Osagie (Posthumous Gold Medal) for attempting to rescue two drowning girls  (Dublin).
•    John Connors (Silver Medal) (Dublin) for rescuing family members from fire on halting site (Dublin).
•    Davitt Walsh (Silver Medal) for rescuing a baby from a sinking car in Buncrana (Donegal).
•    Garda Matthew Murphy (Bronze Medal) and Garda John Prunty (Bronze Medal) for entering a burning house to apprehend an armed man (Letterkenny).
•    Alibanga Musifer (Bronze Medal) for tackling an armed robber in Glasnevin Post Office (Dublin).
•    John Purcell (Bronze Medal) for saving two women from an armed man holding them inside a house in Phibsborough (Dublin).

A number of recipients were also awarded certificates at today’s ceremony. They are:

•    Lee Weir (Dublin)
•    Sam Musu (Dublin)
•    Yosuf Bologun (Dublin)
•    Ionut Plesca (Dublin)
•    Garda Ger Hardiman (Letterkenny)
•    Garda Eoin Waters (Letterkenny)
•    Billy Cronin (Cork)
•    Tom Kennedy (Tipperary)
•    Robert Byrnes (Limerick)
•    Brian O’Dea (Limerick)
•    Garda Lee Doyle (Dublin)
•    Garda Eoghan O’Neill (Dublin)
•    John DeSilva (Portugal)
•    Mark Fleming (Laois)
•    Maria Foley (Cork)
•    Garda David Hearne (Waterford)
•    Alan Herdman (Kildare)
•    Ian Jackman (Wexford)
•    Gerry Keenan (Roscommon)
•    Kilmore Quay Lifeboat Crew (Wexford)
•    John Anthony Maher (Portlaoise)
•    Brian Murphy (Cork)
•    Dylan Murphy (Waterford)
•    Aaron O’Kelly (Dublin)
•    Patrick O’Sullivan (Dublin)

NOTE: Photographs from this event are available from Maxwell Photography: (01) 830 7473 or office@maxwellphotography.ie

For more details on the Bravery Awards, access National Bravery Awards website: https://www.bravery.ie/

ENDS/