Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 24 June 2026
139. Deputy Paul McAuliffe asked the Minister for Defence the number of Defence Forces personnel who received the 1916-2016 Commemorative Medal; the eligibility criteria applied; and whether extending eligibility to retired members who took part in the 1916 commemorative events was considered at the time. [48163/26]
View answerThe Programme for a Partnership Government of 2016 included the commitment to award a commemorative medal to all Defence Forces personnel, Permanent and Reserve, who were recorded as being in service in the course of 2016. The 1916 Centenary Commemorative Medal was a special acknowledgement from the Government to the members of Óglaigh na hÉireann, who served during the centenary year of 2016 and in recognition of their contribution to the centenary commemorative events that year. Eligibility criteria was set out in a new Defence Force Regulation published by the Minister for Defence in November 2016, giving clear, legal effect to the once-off nature of the award. This specified that the 1916 Centenary Commemorative Medal was to be given to all members of the Permanent Defence Force and the Reserve Defence Force who were in service in 2016.
The Military Authorities have advised that some 9,500 medals were provided for the PDF and 2,500 medals for the RDF.
The issue of whether the medal should also be awarded to veterans was raised immediately, at meetings in December 2016 and February 2017. In recognition of the contribution of veterans to the centenary commemorative events in 2016, a framed medal was presented to the Veterans’ Associations formally recognised by the Department of Defence, namely the Irish United Nations Veterans Association (IUNVA) and the Organisation of Ex-Service Personnel (ONE), together with a plaque for each of the 21 Posts of IUNVA and the 41 Branches of ONE around the country.
Finally, I would like to recognise and acknowledge our ex-service personnel for their service and contribution to the State.
