Information received from Jim Herlihy:
Patrick Blake's service number: DMP 10577.
Patrick Blake's brother-in-law: Patrick J. Breene, DMP 11236
Patrick Breene's sister's brother-in-law: Michael Houlihan, DMP 10297.
The Houlihans and Blakes were neighbours in Killard and the Breenes lived in the neighbouring townland of Glascloon.
The medals that the Constable in the picture is wearing are
(from left to right), the 1900, Queen Victoria Royal
Visit to Ireland Medal and the 1903, King Edward VII
Royal Visit to Ireland Medal. Both are in bronze with
shamrocked suspensions and both would have had the
rank and name and D.M.P. on the edges.
They were awarded to the RIC & DMP who were on duty
along the route of the Royal Visits. A 1911, King George V
Royal Visit to Ireland Medal was also issued in silver.
However it had no shamrocked suspension bar and the ribbon
was dark green in colour with a red stripe on both edges.
I attach the images of the two medals.
As Patrick Blake was still at home on the farm in Killard for the 1901 census, I don't understand how he would have qualified for the 1900 medal.
Now I'm starting to worry that the photograph may have been misidentified and may be of Mick Houlihan, who was in the DMP before 1901. I think I've found him in the 1901 census:
http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/p ... d/1324769/
There are two Claremen enumerated under their initials M H in different barracks in Dublin, aged 23 and 25, but as Mick's father was a noted Irish scholar, I'm assuming Mick Houlihan is the Irish speaker aged 23, and that he may have forgotten that he turned 24 four days before the census!