Mayo memories: Three people were shot on sergeant’s first day on duty

WHEN Sergeant Hugh Glynn of Castlebar retired from An Garda Síochána on Wednesday, January 25, 1961, he severed a link with the formation of the force, the arrival of the first garda party in Castlebar, and many other events concerning the gardaí that are now history, and ended one of the most eventful careers of any member of the force.

Sergt. Glynn, a member of the gardaí since its formation, had just completed 38½ years service and had been attached to Mayo Divisional Headquarters, acting as weights and measures sergeant for most of that time.

Before joining the gardaí, Sgt. Glynn served for seven years in the British Merchant Navy as a radio officer, during which time he had many exciting experiences.

A native of Williamstown, Co. Galway, Sgt. Glynn, who had the unusual distinction for some years of being senior weights and measures inspector in Ireland, received his first assignment after joining the gardaí to go with other members to open the first garda station in Castlebar, where Mr. Dermot Fahy, Ellison Street, resided, and before finally it was moved to the old Cavalry Barracks on the Mall.

The arrival of the first gardaí in Castlebar came during a period of great unrest, when the Free State Army were in occupation of the town and people were just recovering from the effects of the disastrous Civil War.

The first day that Sgt. Glynn took up duty was one of the most eventful days experienced probably since the 1798 insurrection.

It was St. Patrick’s Day, 1923, when three people were shot, and Sgt. Glynn’s first task was to carry one of the victims to the old Infirmary for treatment by Dr. MacBride, who immediately operated on the wounded man and extracted the bullet.

A popular young man named Coyne was shot dead that day, Martin McKenna of Castlebar was seriously wounded in the knee, and a farmer’s wife from the Manulla area was also hit by bullets.

The shooting incident took place when the Free State soldiers fired shots to disperse a crowd converging on the barracks when a person involved in a street brawl was being taken into custody by the military. After the establishment of the Castlebar station, Sgt. Glynn was clerk to Chief Supt. H. O’Meara for some time and was then recalled to Garda Depot, where he underwent the first course of training carried out by the garda authorities for inspectors of weights and measures.

At his own request he was then assigned to the Castlebar area as weights and measures sergeant. He was at that time the only weights and measures inspector in Mayo and he experienced great difficulty in travelling round the country carrying out the task of sampling weights and measures, which had been neglected for a number of years by the RIC.

Speaking about his experience of the people of Mayo as weights and measures inspector, he said he always found the business people of Mayo most honourable and always most willing to cooperate with him in every way possible in order to ensure that their weights and measures were accurate.

During his service as a member of the Garda Síochána in Castlebar, Sgt. Glynn was at all times very courteous and helpful and enjoyed the most cordial relations with the business people whom he came in contact with daily and the people of the town generally.

A noted athlete in his young days, he was secretary of the first committee to promote the Castlebar Garda Sports, which for many years was the outstanding sporting event in the province.

He was associated with Castlebar Mitchels GAA Club since 1924 and was a member of Castlebar and District Trout Anglers’ Association since it was formed, in charge of the weigh-ins at all angling competitions promoted by the club, including the world trout competition.

As a youth of 16 years he joined the British Merchant Navy and during his seven years’ service as a radio officer, which was mostly during World War I, he had many exciting experiences and narrow escapes, while he was the recipient of many important radio messages.

When one ship he was serving on was mined, many of the crew were killed and he was lucky to escape at one o’clock in the morning in a lifeboat. He was picked up later after being adrift for many hours.

Later, while serving on another ship, it was torpedoed and luck again favoured him as he made good his escape in a lifeboat. Most of the crew were killed and he experienced a harrowing time adrift in an open boat for two days before being picked up.

He had many other experiences and was in gunshot range of the enemy when the battle cruisers ‘Memouth’ and ‘Good Hope’ were sunk by a German squadron under Admiral Van Strudee. During the engagement he received a radio message ordering all British ships in the danger zone to go to the nearest port for safety.

After receiving the instructions they immediately made for the Straits of Magnet. On reaching the Straits they proceeded up an uncharted channel which had to be sounded by boat using rope and sinker. On making their escape on that operation instructions were received to proceed to Buenos Aires and the Argentine.

He had another escape when his ship luckily outmanoeuvred the German cruiser ‘Mowee’, which was playing havoc with merchant shipping. He received a radio warning from a ship being captured by the cruiser and the position showed that they were streaming straight to where the ‘Mowee’ was operating.

They were proceeding towards the Antarctic and diverted to Australia, where they made a safe landing.