Michael Joseph Reynolds (9 February 1945 – 11 September 1975) was a member of the

Garda Síochána (; meaning "the Guardian(s) of the Peace"), more commonly referred to as the Gardaí (; "Guardians") or "the Guards", is the national police service of Ireland. The service is headed by the Garda Commissioner who is appointed by the Irish Gover ...

, who was posthumously awarded the

Scott Medal The Walter Scott Medal for Valor is a medal awarded for acts of bravery by the Garda Síochána. It is not a state award, being in the gift of the Garda Commissioner. History The Garda medal was instituted at the behest of Colonel Walter Scott, ...

for bravery after being fatally wounded in pursuit of bank robbers operating on behalf of the

Official IRA The Official Irish Republican Army or Official IRA (OIRA; ) was an Irish republican paramilitary group whose goal was to remove Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom and create a "workers' republic" encompassing all of Ireland. It emerged ...

Shooting at St. Anne's Park

A native of Kilconnell,

Ballinasloe Ballinasloe ( ; ) is a town in the easternmost part of County Galway in Connacht. Located at an ancient crossing point on the River Suck, evidence of ancient settlement in the area includes a number of Bronze Age sites. Built around a 12th-ce ...

, Reynolds was a member of the Garda Síochána, who, following an armed robbery at the

Bank of Ireland Bank of Ireland Group plc ( ga, Banc na hÉireann) is a commercial bank operation in Ireland and one of the traditional Big Four Irish banks. Historically the premier banking organisation in Ireland, the Bank occupies a unique position in Iris ...

Killester Killester () is a small residential largely affluent suburb of Dublin, Ireland on the Northside of the city in the Dublin 3 and Dublin 5 postal districts. It was the site of a church and convent or monastery centuries ago, and later a small vill ...

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

, on the afternoon of 11 September 1975 gave chase unarmed to a robbery gang bearing firearms linked to the

, who made off with £7000 in a getaway car, narrowly avoiding a collision with Reynolds' private car in the process.

"Believing the car to have been stolen, Reynolds went in pursuit, the chase eventually reaching speeds of sixty miles per hour through a maze of Dublin suburbs. The four raiders abandoned the car at St. Anne's Park,
Raheny Raheny () is a northern suburb of Dublin, Ireland, halfway from the city centre to Howth. It is centred on a historic settlement, first documented in 570 CE ( Mervyn Archdall). The district shares Dublin's two largest municipal parks, Saint Anne ...
, and attempted to continue their flight on foot still hotly pursued by Garda Reynolds who had driven into the Park almost immediately behind them. Reynolds, who was unarmed, seized and dragged to the ground the nearest of the robbers who, burdened with their loot, were now beginning to tire. On seeing their comrade in Reynolds' hands one of the robbers called in vain for the Garda to release the man, and, when he did not do so, the robber shot Reynolds in the head."

Aftermath

Reynolds died in hospital under two hours later. Two of the raiders, initially sentenced to death, were subsequently sentenced to life imprisonment.

Sources

*''An Garda Síochána and the Scott Medal'', p. 175, Gerard O'Brien,

Four Courts Press Four Courts Press is an independent Irish academic publishing house, with its office at Malpas Street, Dublin 8, Ireland. Founded in 1970 by Michael Adams, who died in February 2009, its early publications were primarily theological, notably t ...

, 2008;

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Reynolds, Michael 1945 births 1975 deaths Deaths by firearm in the Republic of Ireland Deaths by person in the Republic of Ireland Garda Síochána officers killed in the line of duty People from Ballinasloe People murdered in the Republic of Ireland Date of birth missing 1975 murders in the Republic of Ireland Recipients of the Scott Medal Murder victims from County Galway Police officers from County Galway

Shooting at St. Anne's Park

Aftermath

See also

Sources

References