Official certificates are to be issued to the families of military veterans whose State medals may have been lost, stolen or destroyed.
Minister for Defence Willie O'Dea said it was important to preserve the intrinsic value of medals such as those issued to veterans of the 1916 Rising and the War of Independence. He added: "I can understand the feelings of the family members of veterans when requests for replacement medals are refused."
Mr O'Dea said he had decided that an official certificate should be issued in such cases confirming that one of the medals in question was awarded to the named veteran. The design and format of the certificates are being finalised and the Department of Defence will then get in touch with people who have recently sought replacement medals.
He said that while the intrinsic value of the medals was the more important factor in limiting the number of medals issued, he also considered their financial value.
A posthumous 1916 medal was sold for €105,000 at auction in April, while other 1916 and War of Independence medals have gone for between €3,200 and €14,000.
Fianna Fáil TD for Carlow-Kilkenny MJ Nolan had contacted the Minister about the replacement of lost medals for families "who feel proud of their ancestors' service and contribution to the founding of the State and would like a visible expression of that, in view of the recent Easter 1916 commemorations".
The State issued five types of medals. Two thousand were awarded for people who participated in the Rising. More than 50,000 1917-1921 "Service Medals with Bar" were issued to people who gave active military service during the War of Independence.
A "Service Medal without Bar" was issued to more than 50,000 people who were not deemed to have given active military service but who were members of Óglaigh na hÉireann, Fianna Éireann, Cumann na mBan or the Irish Citizen Army for the three months which ended with the Anglo-Irish truce of July 11th, 1921.
To mark the 50th anniversary of the 1916 Rising, a medal for survivors was awarded in 1966.
The 1921 truce commemoration medal was created for survivors to mark the 50th anniversary in 1971 of the ending of the War of Independence.
The department issued replacement medals for those lost by veterans of the 1916 Rising and the War of Independence on a once-only basis on receipt of a request from the veteran who received the original medal.
