Eamonn Doherty - Death of “a legend”
Tributes have been paid to Buncrana-born former Garda Commissioner Eamonn Doherty who died at the weekend.
Mr. Doherty, who was head of the Garda Siochana for 11 months in the late 1980s, passed away, after a long illness, in the early of hours of Saturday in Beacon Hospital, Dublin. He was 86.
Garda Commissioner Fachtna Murphy said Mr. Doherty gave 45 years of “dedicated” service to An Garda Siochana while Senator Cecilia Keaveney described him as “a legend.”
Extending sympathy to Mr. Doherty’s wife Patricia, daughters Deirdre, Patricia and Fiona, sons Colm (managing director of the AIB) and Eamonn, sisters Bridgeen and Maureen, and brothers Aidan and Tony, Commissioner Murphy, said Mr. Doherty had “consistently demonstrated a high level of professional and dedication to the community” throughout his “distinguished” career,
He added: “This continued to be a marked feature of his life following his retirement from An Garda Siochana in 1988. In everything he did, he worked to make a difference to the lives of others in spirit of public service.”
Commissioner Murphy concluded: “Eamon gave great leadership to An Garda Siochana during difficult times and his important contributions in areas, such as training and sport, influenced many careers and helped mould this strong organisation. He will be remembered fondly by his friends and colleagues.”
Also expressing sympathy to Mr. Doherty’s family, Senator Keaveney said his death had resulted in the loss of “a true advocate” and “a legend.”
She said: “Eamonn Doherty was described as a legend by many of those I met at the wake on Sunday and this only echoed the experience I had from first hearing of the man decades ago from my grandfather and others.”
Senator Keaveney said while Mr. Doherty might have left Buncrana to work “Buncrana certainly never left him.”
She added: “Every Donegal Association event in Dublin had his support and yet, when he spotted the Inishowen people, he had a special affinity and a great loyalty. This sense of loyalty and fun extended across all stories that were recounted about him.
“Many of us will remember him for the ‘common touch’ that he exerted. He was always able to give sensible, constructive advice in a friendly and courteous manner.”
Senator Keaveney concluded: “There were volumes of untold work that he did in very many fields that he was involved in during his working life and post his retirement in 1988. His passing marks the end of an era, the ending of a strong advocate for Inishowen in Dublin.”
Cllr. Joe Doherty, chairperson of the Buncrana Joint Policing Committee, also offered condolences to Mr. Doherty’s family and said he would be “sorely missed.”
“ Eamonn hailed from a very highly respected family in Buncrana. He was a fine Garda and reached the ultimate position in the Garda Siochana. Tribute must be paid to the outstanding work he did over the years and the contribution he made to law and order in this country over the year. He truly left his mark.
“On a personal note, I met Eamonn Doherty on many occasions and he was a very pleasant person to meet. He always had great interest in Buncrana and everything going on in it, he never lost interest in his home town. He will be sorely missed.”
Mr. Doherty’s funeral will take place in Dublin this morning. His remains will be taken from his Rathfarnham home to the Church of St. Paul of the Cross in Mount Argus for 11.00am Requiem Mass. His interment will take place immediately afterwards Mount Venus Cemetery.
Born in Buncrana in 1923, the late Mr. Doherty joined the Gardai in 1943 and became first officer to be sent to train with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in America. In his late 30s, he was one of the youngest officers to reach the rank of superintendent. During his career, he was also head of training at the Garda College in Templemore, Co. Tipperary.
Following his retirement in 1988, he was the Government’s nominee on the EU Task Force on Drugs during the 1990s and chaired the Commission which led to the transfer of air-sea rescue services from the Air Corps to the Irish Coastguard in 2006. He was presented with the Ireland Medal Award by the Royal Life Saving Society for his work on the Commission.
Mr. Doherty was also a well known figure in Irish sporting circles following his retirement, acting as chairperson the Irish Sports Council and patron of the Irish Amateur Boxing Association.