An Army chaplain who suffered multiple stab wounds in an attack at a Galway barracks in 2024 is set to receive a distinguished service medal from the Defence Forces.
Fr Paul Murphy was driving back to the main gate of Dún Uí Mhaoilíosa, a barracks in the suburb of Renmore, when he was approached by a man claiming to be in need of assistance. When he lowered his car’s window, he was attacked with a hunting knife.
Last April, a 17-year-old boy pleaded guilty to attempting to murder Fr Murphy and was sentenced to 10 years’ detention with the final two years suspended. The priest offered forgiveness to the teenager, and hugged him at a court hearing.
On the night of the attack, Private Ciara Shanahan was on gate duty. She immediately alerted the barrack guard and, though unarmed, attempted to deter the attacker.
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The guard commander, Cpl Daniel Padden, and another member of the barrack guard, Private Dylan Geraghty, responded quickly with verbal warnings followed by warning shots.
Private Geraghty subsequently tackled the assailant while Cpl Padden maintained a defensive position, ready to escalate force if necessary, according to a summary by the Defence Forces. At that stage, it said, other personnel arrived and provided medical aid to Fr Murphy, immobilised the attacker, notified Gardaí and secured the scene.
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Privates Shanahan and Geraghty, and Cpl Padden, will also receive distinguished service medals at a ceremony in Dún Uí Mhaoilíosa next month.
On the awarding of the medals, Chief of Staff, Lieut Gen Rossa Mulcahy, said it was “a fitting and well deserved recognition of their courage, professionalism and moral resolve in the face of a violent attack on Fr Paul Murphy”.
“Their actions exemplify the very highest standards of Óglaigh na hÉireann.”
Mr Mulcahy said that, in a moment of extreme danger, the recipients acted decisively and selflessly in order to protect life.
“This outcome is a direct reflection of the rigorous training, discipline and values instilled in our personnel throughout their careers,” he said.
“I am immensely proud of these soldiers. Their conduct brings great pride, to their unit, An Chéad Chathlán Coisithe [The 1st Infantry Battalion], and to the Defence Forces as a whole, and it reinforces the trust placed in us by the people we serve.”
