Long Service Medal Ceremony, McKee Barracks

29 June 2026

Minister Byrne presents Civil Defence Volunteers with long service medals

The Minister of State at the Department of Defence, Thomas Byrne TD, today (27 June) presented long service medals at a special ceremony in McKee Barracks, to more than forty Civil Defence volunteers, who have volunteered with Civil Defence for 30, 40 and even 50 years.

Those who received medals today came from sixteen counties and included several volunteers who went on to become full-time Assistant Civil Defence and Civil Defence Officers – from Galway, Offaly, Tipperary, Westmeath and Dublin – making a career of running Civil Defence in their county after decades of voluntary service.

Minister Byrne said: “As Minister of State for Defence, it is a privilege to recognise, on behalf of the Government, the enormous contribution that Civil Defence volunteers make to local communities across Ireland. The Government greatly appreciates the commitment of our local Civil Defence units. We never take for granted the resilience and contribution that Civil Defence units demonstrate consistently.”

The Minister continued: “Civil Defence members work hard to balance the demands of family and careers with their commitment to their communities.  They turn up for training on dark winter nights and put their hand up to volunteer at all times, and in all weathers, to search for missing people in their county, to assist in the aftermath of a bad storm, or to ensure a local event has the medical cover it needs to go ahead. Without Civil Defence units, our communities would be poorer places.”#

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