A ceremony to mark the death of Det Jerry McCabe, who was shot dead by an IRA gang 25 years ago on June 7th was held in Adare yesterday.
His widow Ann, has called for Gardaí to redouble their efforts to bring two fugitive members of the gang to justice. Another detective, Ben O’Sullivan, was seriously wounded in the incident as the criminals attempted to rob a post office van.
Wreaths were laid at a memorial at Adare Garda Station yesterday – the Garda commissioner Drew Harris and Minister for Justice Heather Humphreys also spoke at the event. Four men, Kevin Walsh of Patrickswell, Co Limerick; Pearse McCauley, from Strabane; Jeremiah Sheehy from Rathkeale; and Michael O’Neil, from Patrickswell, served prison sentences after pleading guilty to Det McCabe’s manslaughter while on trial for his murder in 1999. Two other members of the gang fled the country in 1996 and are believed to be on the run in Spain and South America. A fifth man, John Quinn, of Faha, Patrickswell, was jailed for conspiracy to rob the post office van.
Speaking in Adare yesterday, Garda Commissioner Drew Harris said: “This does remain an active investigation, and it is subject to three-monthly reviews so it isn’t in any way forgotten about.
