Retired garda claims a place in photographic history

A FORMER Ardnacrusha-based garda has revealed the circumstances surrounding his inclusion in an award-winning photograph, which hangs in the National Garda Museum over 28 years since it was first taken. Garda John Kelleher, who recently retired from the gardaí after 26 years at Ardnacrusha Garda Station only discovered by accident from colleagues that he was, in his own words, a “museum piece”.
The Macroom native didn’t even know that a Connacht Tribune photographer, Stan Shields, had photographed him emptying water out of his wellington boot following a massive garda manhunt for the killers of two gardaí in Ballaghaderreen on July 8, 1980.
In fact, Garda Kelleher confirmed this week that he only discovered the photograph actually existed when two gardaí from Limerick City happened to visit the Garda Museum and recognised him hanging up on the wall 15 years later.
Garda Henry Byrne (29) and a colleague, Detective Garda John Morley (37), a former Mayo county footballer, were shot dead while investigating a raid on the Bank of Ireland branch at Ballaghaderreen on July 7, 1980. Both gardaí were married with children and were then stationed at Castlerea, County Roscommon.
Garda Kelleher was stationed in Henry Street, Limerick at the time and had just ended a night-duty shift when he was asked with other colleagues to participate in a massive search of a wooded area near Kilcolgan in County Galway where the killers were believed to be hiding.
A group of gardaí from Limerick were transported by bus up to Ballaghaderreen for the search, which took place on a very wet day.
Garda Kelleher recalled that the gardaí didn’t get a chance to bring wet gear with them as they were transported directly from night duty.
“I never even saw the photograph being taken at a collection point after we had spent the day searching for the killers in the wood. I was photographed emptying one of my wellington boots, which were full of water because we had no wet gear.
“I didn’t even know the photograph was being taken at the time and didn’t know it even existed until 15 years later when it was spotted by some of my Limerick colleagues in the Garda Museum.
“The other two gardaí in the photograph are Garda Eoin Gogarty, who is now a sergeant based in Mayorstone, Limerick and Garda Justin McCarthy a sergeant based in Henry Street, Limerick. I don’t know who the soldier is,” he said.