Eight men are serving sentences in Portlaoise for the murder of gardai. Only four of them, the IRA prisoners Peter Rogers, Tommy Eccles, Brian McShane and Pat McPhillips, qualify for release under the terms of the Belfast Agreement.
Peter Rogers, from Knocktown, Duncormick, Co Wexford, was convicted of the murder of Det Garda Seamus Quaid (42) on October 13th, 1980.
Rogers was stopped at a routine night-time checkpoint at Ballyconnick quarry outside Wexford. Det Garda Quaid, with a second detective garda, found explosives in the back of the Transit van.
Det Garda Quaid fired six shots before he was shot dead. Rogers, who had been shot in the leg, was arrested and charged with the murder the day after the shooting.
Three Dundalk IRA men, Tommy Eccles, Brian McShane and Pat McPhillips, were convicted of the capital murder in August 1984 of Det Garda Frank Hand (27). They received the death penalty, commuted to 40 years with a recommendation that they serve all 40 years. The IRA gang escaped with £220,000 from a post office van in Drumree, Co Meath, following the shooting. Det Garda Hand was escorting the delivery in an unmarked Garda car with fellow Det Garda Michael Dowd, who was injured in the attack, and was made lie face-down with a gun to his head while the money was transferred into the stolen cars used by the gang. The murdered garda was shot dead when the gunmen opened fire on the car.
The Minister for Justice, Mr O'Donoghue met Det Garda Hand's brothers Michael and John Hand in May this year. Mr Michael Hand said after the meeting it had been made clear that the planned early release of those involved in his brother's murder was "effectively a done deal".
He criticised the lack of support for victims' families from the Government. Speaking after scenes of clench-fist salutes from the Balcombe Street gang at the Sinn Fein Ardfheis, Mr Hand said there had been no consultation with families on the prisoner release.
Michael McHugh from Crossmaglen and Noel Callan from Castleblayney were sentenced to death for the murder of Garda Sgt Patrick Morrissey (49) in June 1985. Their sentence was commuted to 40 years later that year. McHugh gave a clenched fist salute and shouted "Victory to the INLA, pro-British bastards," as he was led from the Special Criminal Court.
Sgt Morrissey was shot in Tallanstown, Co Louth, after a chase by car and on foot following the robbery of £25,000 from the Ardee Labour Exchange. A witness to the shooting said Sgt Morrissey was shot in the head as he lay helpless on the ground, having been shot in the leg. In 1996 the Supreme Court turned down a request for temporary release so that McHugh could visit his sick mother.
Patrick McCann and Colm O'Shea were convicted in November 1980 of the murders of Det Garda John Morley (37) and Garda Henry Byrne (29). The two gardai were shot in their squad car when they tried to block the escape route of McCann and O'Shea after the robbery of £35,000 from the Bank of Ireland at Ballaghaderreen, Co Roscommon.
The Provisional IRA issued a statement denying responsibility for the murders.
McCann, originally from Dungarvan, Co Waterford, had changed his name from Michael Burke by deed poll in Scotland and was living in Lower Leeson Street, Dublin. He was convicted of the murder of Garda Byrne.
