An Garda Siochana and the Scott Medal

An unarmed police force asks a particular kind of courage of its members, and the Scott Medal, a gallantry decoration unique to Ireland, exists to honour it. Gerard O'Brien recounts in detail each incident for which members of An Garda Síochána received the award, drawing on published and unpublished sources and on the personal recollections of Gardaí still serving at the time of writing.

Each account comes with outline career details for the recipient, so the people behind the citations emerge as working officers rather than names on a roll. As the first compilation of its kind for Irish police bravery awards, it is both a tribute to those it names and a careful record for anyone drawn to the history of the Force and the social history of the Irish state.