Funeral for decorated retired officer told that he faced down 'lifelong injuries and horrific memories' at hands of IRA
The funeral of Jim Cannon has been told that the IRA meted out “lifelong injuries and horrific memories” to him and his colleagues.
The retired garda sergeant, who was decorated for bravery for his role in a Troubles bombing, was bid farewell by mourners today at St Michael's Church, Portarlington, in central Ireland.
He had been involved with the Troubles campaign and support group SEFF in his later years.
He died on Monday in hospital, at the age of 91.
Speaking at his funeral, his son Padraig told mourners that he had joined the guards in 1955, and served close to the border near Crossmaglen when the Troubles broke out in the 1960s.
Along his career he enountered a republican prison riot, jailbreaks, and the kidnapping of Dutch businesswoman Tiede Herrema by the IRA.
He was also working when JFK visited Ireland in 1963, “passing within two yards of him while he was in an isolated area of road where President Kennedy saluted him; dad proudly saluted JFK back”.
He was also on duty during the visit of the Apollo 13 astronauts in 1970 and the visit of the Pope in 1979.
But there was “one very dark day in a stellar career for Jim – that was on the 16th of October 1976”.
On that date he and a team of colleagues were lured to a remote farmhouse in the middle of the night, on the pretext that an armed gang was using it.
Instead the house had been booby-trapped, and the bomb killed one of his colleagues and left him wounded and buried in rubble.
Nevertheless he got to his feet and tried to help his colleagues before running across the fields to seek help.
He was later given the Scott Medal for courage.
"In recent years, dad was an active participant engaged in supporting the victims of the Troubles,” said his son.
"Dad supported the SEFF organization by giving up his time to attend meetings, workshops, and going on tours with other victims of the Troubles from the north and south of the border, allowing victims and survivors to share life experiences and stories directly resulting from the Troubles in support of each other.”
His funeral was attended by uniformed gardai who placed a cap, gloves, and tricolour on his coffin.
Also presented were the flag of Galway (his home county), a hurley stick (showing his love for the sport), a newspaper (he was a lifelong reader of the news), and a rosary.
"Dad, it is with heartfelt sadness that we must let you go to your resting place now, joining other family members, work colleagues, and friends,” said his son.
"You have left an everlasting footprint in this life with a blueprint for others to follow.”