Col. Pat Quinlan celebrated with monument

The political representation was in response to a year long campaign by students of Malahide Community School and Galway Community Collegewhere the students started the #MedalsforJadotville and #Medal4Quinlancampaigns. The voice of the children helped add an extra dimension to the 56 years of campaigning by veterans and their families.

The work of the students and their teachers Kevin Manning, Malahide CS and Philip Cribbin from Galway Community College, was gratefully acknowledged by Leo Quinlan in a speech to the assembled gathering and media prior to the unveiling.

The former Taoiseach Enda Kenny praised Noel Grealish for requesting medals for the officers nominated by Col. Quinlan as well as requesting by Col. Quinlan be awarded the Medal of Military Gallantry with Honours. Noel Grealish worked with the Leaving Cert History students in Galway Community College in drafting a Leader’s question on the medal issue and the Jadotville veterans.

A medal to accompany the unit citation will be awarded at Custume Barracks in Athlone on December the 2nd. We hope that the government will use this opportunity to finally award Col. Pat Quinlan with the MMG with Honours. We can but hope that this grave wrong will finally be put right on December the 2nd and Pat’s heroism be formally recognised from a military perspective.

Thanks to all of you who have supported Inspiringyouirl during our #Medal4Quinlan campaign.

We have attached some photos from the event yesterday one of which features the writer of Siege at Jadotville, Declan Power, who was very supportive of our campaign and will continue to help #Medal4Quinlan. It was also a great honour for Kevin Manning and Philip Cribbin to meet Holger C. Lönze – Sculptor who designed the evocative monument to Col. Quinlan.