Michael Bohan was man of great principle to end
TO thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man.”.
A man of principles, integrity and honesty, retired local Chief Superintendent Michael Bohan was unfailingly kind, caring, generous and thoroughly devoted to his wife, Nancy and five children, most especially, his youngest ‘special’ son, Michael.
During an illustrious career in the Gardaí spanning almost 45 years, the Forest Hill man conducted himself with the utmost probity, even stepping down from the force in 1987, just a year shy of retirement, as a point of principle.
He loved his career and always said the most rewarding aspect was being out and about with the public trying to do good. However, it was his family and his community which he held most dear.
A wise man, Michael gave counsel through the years to family, friends and neighbours, not just about policing matters but was frequently called upon to give advice on personal issues - he was well known as a man who would always find a solution to a problem.
He had a tremendous sense of humour and was always ready for a witty exchange with everybody he met. His enthralling yarns of ‘ne’r do wells, scoundrels, characters and ‘sponkers’ he encountered on the beat were captured on the pages of his book ‘ The Arresting Tales of Michael F. ‘, published in 2013.
His own father said he was ‘vaccinated with a gramophone needle he talked that much’.
Michael was born in 1925 in Leitrim, the son of a farmer, but the exact date of his birth was a matter of much conjecture.
He found out over the years he had four birthdays – the first he knew of was March 18th, then he saw his birth certificate said June 28th, when he spied his baptismal certificate, he was one day older with March 17th, and much later he saw a Church register read April 27th. He used to say he had two more than the Queen!
Michael Bohan joined the force in 1944 and served for six and a half years in the Dublin Metropolitan area and on transfer to Cork in 1951 became the youngest sergeant in the Gardaí.
He met his beautiful wife Nancy (Roantree) in her family dairy in Dublin, when she opened the door to him the day he was called upon to investigate the breaking of windows in the dairy yard. He always said he owed a debt of gratitude to the culprit.
In January 1962 he became the youngest inspector in the force when transferred to Cavan from Carlow. Two years later he was to become the second youngest superintendent and served in Roscommon until 1966 before he was transferred to Drogheda and remained in the town until July 1974. That year he was promoted to Chief Superintendent and transferred to Mullingar in charge of the Longford/Westmeath Division. He was there until August 1979 when he was posted to Garda HQ, acting as personal assistant to Garda Commissioner Patrick McLoughlin.
He returned to Drogheda as Chief Superintendent of the 500-strong Louth-Meath division in October 1984. He had made Drogheda his home from 1966 where he raised his growing family, sons John and Michael and daughters Anne, Gretta and Breeda, with his wife Nancy.
From the day they moved to the town, Michael became involved in fund raising for St. Ita’s Special School, where his youngest son attended and over the years organised social events in the town which raised thousands for the benefit of the school.
People would have known the ‘ two Michaels’, senior and junior down through the years, as they went everywhere together and absolutely idolised one another.
He was also a pivotal member of both the Fund-Raising Committee and the Board of Directors of Malta Services in Drogheda for over twenty years.
He had a great religious faith and attended 10 o’clock mass in the Lourdes Church daily, right up until a few days before he passed away on February 23rd this year.
He was also a man who loved nature’s simple pleasures.
One of his favourite times was sitting having his breakfast looking out at the birds feeding from his bird table. Michael was a keen gardener and every Autumn would see him delivering the fruits of his apple trees to his many friends and neighbours.
Throughout his long service he dealt with everything from the theft of a stolen bicycle to five murder investigations.
Locally he was responsible for traffic management and security during The Papal visit to Drogheda in 1979, as well as security at the Bruce Springsteen concert in Slane 1985.
One of his most prized possessions was a Springsteen gold disc presented to him by the singers’s management team in recognition for his work.
Of course, he also worked during “The Troubles”, a very difficult and dangerous time, and investigated the murder of Dominic McGlinchey’s wife Mary, as well as the burning of Dundalk Garda Station.
Back working in Drogheda meant he could return to his beloved family in Drogheda, but it also meant he was present for what he always referred to as the saddest day of his career, the day his friend and colleague Sergeant Pat Morrissey was shot dead in June 1985.
Loyal to the badge he so proudly wore, he always acknowledged the support he got from his colleagues and members of the public.
‘Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam’