This article looks back now at the career of Morgan Lahiffe , a Togher based Garda who in 2024 became the first person in Ireland to be awarded 2 Scott Medals for Bravery. He also served in 3 separate Garda Stations all in Togher!
Morgan Lahiffe , born in 1940 , joined An Garda Siochana in April 1961. Originally from Co. Clare , he spent the 1960s based at the Bridewell in Cork City where he became a Detective. At the start of the 1970s , he was posted to Togher Garda Station ( where he would remain for the rest of his career ) on Togher Road. His career in Togher would see him move into three separate Stations ; the old Garda Station which was originally located in front of the Ardmanning House which was demolished soon after circa 1971 , the bungalow across the road at the corner of Ardmanning Ave and the new Garda Station ( the former O'Sullivan House ) on Tramore Road when it opened in 1985.
1971 - 1985
1985 - Present
Morgan outside of his career was known for his great sense of humour and his passion for set dancing. He and his wife Jean raised their family initially in Westside Estate in the 1970s before relocating to nearby Bishopstown in the 1980s but Togher was his centre of operations until his retirement in January 1993. Sadly , he passed away peacefully at his home on 6th December 2023. His career can be best marked out as centering on 5 important events which took place in 1971 , 1978 , 1985 , 2023 and ultimately 2024 respectively.
1971
On 20th August 1971 , Morgan along with his colleague Gerry O'Sullivan responded to a phone call saying 3 armed raiders had entered the Five Star supermarket. The gunmen forced the Manager and staff to hand over £772 ( just under €15,000 in today's market value ). When they arrived masked gunmen ordered them out which they initially refused to do until a gun was pointed at their heads. As the gunmen made off in a car , the two officers pursued them. Gerry was dropped at a phonebox on Clashduv Road where he requested back up while Morgan drove after the raiders where they were intercepted soon after on the College Road. The whole incident was then quietly forgotten about for over 50 years until 2024 ( see below )
1978
of Morgan's Scott Medal in 1978
( * Echolive.ie )
In 1978 he successfully tackled armed gunmen during a raid on the old C.M.P. Dairies on Kinsale Road in Cork. He gave no thought to his own safety and because of this was awarded the Gold Scott Medal ( see above ) for Bravery. Tragically , the wages clerk , Maura Collins , whom the raiders had forced to hand over IR£10,000 , was shot in the back because she wasn't quick enough. Thankfully she survived.
1985
Following the Air India Disaster on 23rd June 1985 ( in which a bomb exploded on board Flight 182 which had left Montreal , Canada for Dehli , India , causing it to crash in the Atlantic Ocean about 120 Miles south west of County Cork ) , Morgan headed up a special unit responsible for logistics and joint operations with Royal Canadian Mounted Police ( the majority of passengers were Canadian citizens ). Togher Garda Station's area of operations included Cork Airport , where they conducted crisis response , forensic recovery and logistical support , heavily aided by the Irish Naval Service , Irish Army and Emergency Medical Support from the Cork Regional Hospital ( now C.U.H. ). International media praised the Gardai for their exceptional support and empathy with the families of the victims. R.C.M.P. presented the Gardai with a special placue at Anglesea Street on the 20th Anniversary in 2005.
2023
Even though he was by 2023 , fully retired at the grand old age of 82 , he was historically called back to give evidence in July of that year , in a cold case he had been involved in way back in 1981 - that of the murder of Nora Sheehan , ironically also from his home turf of Bishopstown. Her bruised and battered body had been found dumped in a woods near Innishannon , Co. Cork in June 1981. Using the meticulously preserved forensic evidence and the original files gathered by Detective Lahiffe and his colleagues all those years ago , the State was finally able to build a modern case using DNA technology which betrayed one Noel Long , 74 ( then 32 ) also from Bishopstown of the rape and murder of Nora Sheehan , 54. This was Morgan's final act of service and he passed away peacefully a few short months later at his home in Bishopstown on 6th December 2023 at the age of 83.
2024
Just months after his passing , Morgan was finally recognised for his actions in Togher way back in 1971. 53 years after the raid at the Five Star supermarket he was posthumously awarded the Bronze Scott Medal for Bravery , becoming the first person in Ireland to achieve a second Scott Medal!
Scott Medal award 2024
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