Garda Jerry McCabe remembered 30 years after IRA murder in Adare

Detective Garda Jerry McCabe was shot dead by a Provisional IRA unit in Adare, Co Limerick, in 1996. His widow Ann and senior officials marked the 30th anniversary at a memorial mass on Sunday.

Widow recalls the day her life 'stood still' as Limerick marks 30 years since McCabe killing

Detective Garda Jerry McCabe, shot dead by a Provisional IRA gang during a raid on the post office in Adare, Co Limerick, in June 1996, has been remembered at a memorial mass on Sunday — three decades after his killing, breakingnews.ie reports.

Speaking after mass at Holy Rosary Church in Limerick, his widow Ann said grief does not fade with time.

"It's hard to believe it has been 30 years since Jerry was murdered," she said. "Grief is not just for now, it is forever. My life stood still on June 7."

McCabe had been on duty with his partner, Detective Ben O'Sullivan, on 7 June 1996, when the van they were escorting stopped at Adare. As the van driver prepared to unload the mail, a Provisional IRA unit crashed a Jeep at full speed into the rear of the detectives' unmarked patrol car. Occupants of a second vehicle then opened fire on the Garda car, killing McCabe and seriously wounding O'Sullivan, who was shot around a dozen times but survived.

Four people were convicted of manslaughter in connection with the killing in 1999. Mrs McCabe said those individuals are "no longer part of my life".

"We fought a bit of a battle with them alright, and we shouldn't have had to do that, but politics came into it sadly," she said. "But we won the battle, hard as it was to deal with, but we did it as best we could."

She paid tribute to her family, friends, all members of An Garda Síochána, and the victims' support group SEFF for their support over the years. Reflecting on her late husband, she recalled the warmth he brought to the job.

"Jerry loved his job, there was a lot of seriousness attached to it, but where there was Ben and Jerry, there was always laughter," she said. She also noted that McCabe had a sticker on the back of his patrol car on the day he was killed which read: "I'm for peace." "Little did he know that he wouldn't live to see the peace proceed the way it did," she added.

Tánaiste Simon Harris was among those who paid tribute, describing McCabe as a "dedicated servant of this State, who gave his life in the line of duty".

Chief Superintendent of the Limerick Division, Derek Smart, confirmed the investigation into the killing remains active. "We remember Ben O'Sullivan who was also in the car that day — they were carrying out their lawful duties when they were so brutally shot down," he said. "This is very much a live investigation. There are people out there who we are still anxious to speak with."

Smart appealed directly to anyone with information to come forward. "My appeal would be directly to them to come forward, anybody that may have any information with regard to what happened to Jerry and Ben on that day on June 7 — please contact us, to any Garda station, our confidential number, reach out to us and give us that information."

He added that he believes the case will eventually be resolved. "I think the world is getting to be a smaller place, people are now being brought home to face their actions, so I do believe that one day this matter will be brought to a close and the McCabe and the O'Sullivan families will get the answers that they need."

SEFF director Kenny Donaldson, who attended the mass, said the McCabe family is "held in high esteem" across the organisation. "Terrorism knew no borders and it came right down into this community, and today we saw the love and respect with which the family is held," he said. He also noted that McCabe's son and grandson have both since served in An Garda Síochána.

Originally from Co Kerry, McCabe worked as a mechanic before joining An Garda Síochána in September 1964. He was posthumously awarded the Scott Gold Medal in 2000.

Source: Google News IE — Crime (en)