Det Supt Bill Somers:ADDRESSING THE huge congregation at the requiem Mass for Det Supt Bill Somers in Kilmacud Church, the priest said: "Bill was a parishioner but many of the locals might feel that they did not know the deceased. However, I am sure that those of you who watch TV will have seen him many times.
“There are pictures of him standing beside Pope John Paul II in Shannon airport, speaking to President Bill Clinton on one of his visits here and the most familiar is the one of Bill escorting Don Tidey to safety after his kidnapping ordeal and imprisonment in Derrada Wood in Leitrim.
“This man is known to you all for services rendered selflessly over the years.”
Aged 69 at the time of his death, Bill Somers was a native of Clonmel and was the youngest son of the late Garda John Somers, who served in Clonmel for many years, and Eva Somers who taught in nearby Rathkeevan national school.
Having completed his secondary education in Clonmel High School, Somers entered the Garda Síochána in 1960. After graduating, he was stationed in Skibbereen, Clontarf and Mountjoy. He became a detective in the special detective unit in the mid 1960s.
Promoted to detective sergeant and later to detective inspector, Somers served another 32 years in the special detective unit, stationed in both Dublin Castle and Harcourt Square.
At this stage of his career, Somers played central roles in the resolution of a number of notorious kidnapping cases in addition to the Don Tidey affair. He was the principal negotiator in the release of Jennifer Guinness, who had been held hostage in Dublin and also in a further siege incident in Bawnboy, Cavan.
However, on a more joyful note, a fine photograph appeared on the front page of The Irish Timesof the Canadian prime minister Pierre Trudeau and Somers, both smiling broadly as they emerged from St Stephen's Green.
Even some of those who knew him well took for granted the enormous responsibility entrusted to Somers and his colleagues who were the guardians of so many illustrious visitors and also our own politicians on a daily basis.
His period of service took in the political turmoil which engulfed the State for 30 years.
Bill Somers was a leader of the men who put their lives on the line in what was seen as the ordinary course of their duty, often without any real recognition.
Promoted to detective superintendent in the mid 1990s, he served in the Monaghan district for a period, before retiring from the Garda.
Subsequently, he became manager of corporate security with the Guinness/Diageo companies. His knowledge and experience was invaluable in the fight against counterfeiting of Diageo products.
A noted member of the Garda rowing club, he rowed as a senior oarsman with great distinction and was a member of the Irish contingent at the Montreal Olympics in 1976.
Somers was a founder member of the Garda choir. Blessed with a powerful singing voice, he thrilled many an audience with his renderings of An Poc ar Buile and Raglan Road.
He held a degree in public administration and a diploma in the history of art, both from Trinity College Dublin. He was a man of great presence, which came out of a strong sense of his own identity. He was gifted with a sense of humour influenced by his Kerry ancestry.
His brothers Walter and John predeceased him. He will be sadly missed by his wife Helen (nee Marshall), his sons John and Mark, daughter Isolde, his sister Eva Campion and brother Michael and by his beloved grandchildren and a host of relatives and friends.
Bill Somers: born December 30th, 1940; died June 21st, 2010