The Scott Medal for Bravery

In 1923 Colonel Walter Scott, an Honorary Commissioner of the New York City Police and a well known philanthropist, presented An Garda Síochána, then the world’s youngest Police Force, with a $1,000 gold bond.

"There was only one condition attached to the award of the Scott Medal: "No action, however heroic, will merit the award of the Scott medal unless it takes the shape of an act of personal bravery, performed intelligently in the execution of duty at imminent risk to the life of the doer, and armed with full previous knowledge of the risk involved". 

The medal is in the form of a Celtic cross. There are 5 panels on the face of the medal that depict the words "The Scott Medal", "For Valour", the eagle and the shield of the USA, the harp and sunburst and the Garda Crest. The reverse of the medal carries the inscription, "Garda Síochána na h-Éireann". The 4 outside panels are the arms of the four provinces of Ireland - Ulster, Munster, Leinster and Connaught.

The above Scott Medal was awarded to Sergt. Peter O'Reilly in 1925and was the third Scott Medal to be awarded. It was presented to Sergt. O'Reilly in August 1926


The two most common medals awarded to the Garda are the long service medal which was awarded for 22 years services, the ribbon is green and white and the medal is issued un-named.



The other was issued to all serving Garda in 1972 to mark the 50th anniversary of the founding of the force.

Garda Millennium Medal




Issued in 2000 to all serving members of An Garda Siocahana of all ranks to commemorate the Millennium year.. The medal is known as the Millennium Medal.

Image courtesy of N. Dwan





The medal was issued unnamed. Image courtesy of N. Dwan

Pilgrimage to Rome 1982 Medal

Issued to members of the Garda who took part in the 60th Anniversary of the founding of An Garda Siochana pilgrimage to Rome held in 1982. The pilgrimage took place from the 17th to the 24th of April and was attended by over one thousand Garda ex-Garda and their families. Garda Commissioner Patrick McLoughlin presented a chalice to Pope John Paul II during a private audience with the Pope. The chalice was inscribed His Holiness Pope John Paul II: Devotion and Loyalty: Guardians of the peace of Ireland. Rome 1982. The chalice was also engraved with the design of the medal.

Including pin bar and ribbon the medal is 110mm long, the medal disc is 40mm across.

R.I.C. and D.M.P. Medals



These medals were awarded to all members of the Dublin Metropolitan Police and Royal Irish Constabulary who were on duty at a place visited by the Queen Victoria on her visit to Ireland in 1900 and the visit of King Edward VII in 1903.


The medals were issued named and would contain the name of the officer and force he served with, these were abbreviated on the medals to R.I.C. for the Royal Irish Constabulary and D.M.P. for the Dublin Metropolitan Police the medals also contained the rank of the recipient.



The purpose of Queen Victoria’s visit to Ireland was partially to encourage Irish men to join the British Army to fight in the Boer war. There was considerable opposition by Irish Nationalists to the visit and the Queen’s popularity had diminished considerable in Ireland by 1900, Dublin Corporation to refuse to congratulate her son, the Prince of Wales, on his marriage to Princess Alexandra of Denmark, or to congratulate the royal couple on the birth of their oldest son, Prince Albert Victor.




The medal awarded for the 1900 Royal visit showed Queen Victoria on the front, blue ribbon and shamrock design suspension bar. The medal was on the same design for both R.I.C. and D.M.P.




The medal awarded for the 1900 Royal visit showed Queen Victoria on the front, blue ribbon and shamrock design suspension bar. The medal was on the same design for both R.I.C. and D.M.P.

When purchasing medals always try and get them with the Shamrock Suspension bar as I have seen a single bar sell for nearly as much as a medal. There are also some copies of these bars around, the copies are cast in a mould and do not have pins, replacement ribbon is widely available.



The back of the medal is of the same design on both medals. The image depicts Britannia with a harp at her feet with Kingstown Harbour (now Dun Laoghaire) in the background, this was the harbour both monarchs arrived at.

Visit of King George V to Ireland in 1911


This medal was issued to all members of the R.I.C. and D.M.P. who were on duty during the visit of King George V to Ireland in 1911. The medals was also awarded to other such as St John Ambulance members and Kingstown Harbour Police who served during the visit. Members of the Phoenix Park and St. Stephens Green Police were also awarded the medal.

The number of medals issued was 2477 and were awarded to the following forces:

  • R.I.C. officers and men 1022
  • R.I.C. office staff 24
  • D.M.P. officers and men 1314
  • D.M.P. office staff 4
  • Phoenix Park and St. Stephens Green Parks Police 10
  • Kingstown Harbour Police 11
  • St John Ambulance Brigade 92

The back of the medal shows the dates of the visit, the ribbon was dark green with two red stripes. There was no clasp issued with the medal. New ribbon for the medal is widely available. The medal was designed by Sir Edgar Bertram Mackennal who’s initials B. M. appear on the medal.

This medal was very similar in design the Royal visit medal, the reverse of the medal had Royal Irish Constabulary Coronation 1911 on it, similar medals with the police forces own name on it were issued to other police forces around the U.K.,  as with other provincial police forces, the medal was issued to approximately one in every twenty members of the RIC based on an exemplary service record. As far as I know there was no Dublin Metropolitan Police D.M.P. version issued.  572 medals were awarded to the R.I.C.

The quote from Hansard below gives some detail on the issue of the medal.

(Hansard) HC Deb 05 July 1911 vol 27 cc1138-9

The Home Secretary, who is attending a meeting of the Privy Council, has asked me to answer this question for him. The King has been graciously pleased to command that the police medal issued to commemorate their Majesties' Coronation should be granted to a certain number of the members of every police force in the United Kingdom. As a general rule, the medals will be given to men selected for long and meritorious service, in the proportion of one for every twenty members of a force; but in the case of places which His Majesty has paid or is about to pay official visits in connection with the Coronation, medals will be given to all police officers employed on the occasion whose record shows more than ten years of efficient and meritorious service.

R.I.C. Medal of Merit 

The medal of merit was awarded for acts of bravery above and beyond the call of duty. The medal was issued engraved with the recipients name rank and service number and the year the act for which the medal was awarded took place. As the event was often reported in the newspapers it is often possible to gain this information by research. The majority of these medals awarded to the R.I.C. were awarded during the Irish War of Independence. A total of 280 Constabulary Medals were awarded for the ‘troubles’ between 1916 and 1922, of these, 180 medals were awarded for incidents during 1920. 

Constable Simon Hickey

Constabulary Medal (Ireland), 2nd type, ‘Reward of Merit Royal Irish Constabulary’, reverse inscribed, ‘Constable Simon Hickey 67897 1920’. Simon Hickey was a Roman Catholic, born in Tralee, Co. Kerry, on the 17th of May 1894. A Farmer prior to joining the Royal Irish Constabulary, he resigned on the 9th of November 1920 and emigrated to Sydney, Australia, where he joined the New South Wales Police. He Hickey was awarded his Constabulary Medal in respect of an attack on Bookeen R.I.C. Barracks on the 2nd of July 1920.

In an attack on Bookeen R.I.C. Barracks, County Galway, which started in the early hours of Friday the 2nd of July 1920 seven RIC Policemen withstood a sustained attack lasting several hours. The IRA blocked the approach roads to the Barracks, which is situated between Athenry and Loughrea, to slow the progress of relief forces which would inevitably be summoned. During the attack the IRA attempted to bomb the building and the roof was set alight. The Barracks were under the command of Sergeant Edward Brady (on temporary duty from Loughrea). At about 5am the Police were forced to vacate the Barracks due to the fire on the roof threating to collapse in on the building, they managed to retreat to Loughrea arriving there at about 8am. Apart from Constable Hickey receiving a slight wound to the ankle none of the Policemen were injured.

Constable William Dunphy

William Dunphy was born in Kilkenny on 28 June 1889. By faith a Roman Catholic and a Farmer by occupation, he joined the Royal Irish Constabulary briefly in March 1909 and then again in July 1910. Based in Co. Westmeath from January 1911 and then Co. Kerry from July 1919. He ceased to be a member when the force was disbanded in April 1922.

The RIC barracks at Camp County Kerry was attacked on Thursday the 19th of February 1920, the attack starting at about 10.30pm. The Barracks were under the command of Sergeant McDonagh with six men under his command. In the attack, which lasted over three and a half hours, the IRA succeeded in blowing the end wall off of the building and called on the occupants to surrender, the Police refused to surrender and continued to defend the ruined building until the attackers withdrew. The only casualty was Sergeant McDonagh who was shot through the cheek. Sergeant McDonage and all six Constables received the Constabulary Medal.