The Military Medal For Gallantry (MMG) ( or BMC) is a military decoration awarded by the Government of Ireland. The medal has been awarded in three grades since its inception in 1944 and, as of 2025, has a total of eight recipients.
Those awarded the medal are entitled to use of the post-nomimals "BMC", the Irish abbreviation of the medal's name.
Presented for acts of exceptional bravery or gallantry by a member of the Irish Defence Forces, the Military Medal for Gallantry is the highest military honour presented by the Republic of Ireland.
The Military Medal for Gallantry was created in 1944 amidst the ongoing Emergency in Europe, to be awarded in three grades: 1st Class, 2nd Class, 3rd Class.
In January 1984, the three distinct grades of the medal were renamed: 1st Class became with Honour, 2nd with Distinction, and 3rd with Merit. Since the medal's inception it has been awarded six times with Distinction and twice with Merit. It has never yet been awarded with Honour.
The Military Medal for Gallantry is awarded for "any act of exceptional bravery or gallantry (other than one performed on war service) arising out of, or associated with, military service and involving risk to life and limb." The medal can be awarded to officers, non-commissioned officers, or privates/seaman/aircrew of the Defence Forces and to members of the Army Nursing Service and Chaplaincy Services.
The medal is made of silver when awarded with Honour and is bronze when awarded with Distinction and Merit. The obverse of the medal depicts a cross with St. Brendan's knot on each arm. Superimposed on the cross is a laurel wreath. In the centre are the words DE á¸ÂARR CALMAÃÂTA (For Gallantry). The reverse is plain except for the inscription An Bonn MÃÂleata CalmaÃÂta arching over a scroll on which to inscribes the recipient's name. The maker's hallmark is located at the bottom.
The medal hangs from a straight arm suspension attached to a ribbon which is green and crimson. The ribbon for the medal with Honour is green with a central stripe of crimson, while the medal with Distinction is green with stripes of crimson at the edges, and the medal with Merit is green with 3-millimetre crimson edges and a 3-millimetre crimson central stripe.
Subsequent awards of the medal are denoted by a metal disc bearing a Celtic triquetra design.
There have been eight recipients of the Military Medal for Gallantry, of whom six have received it with Distinction (2nd class) and 2 with Merit (3rd class). Six of the recipients were serving with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), with several of the medals awarded for actions during the Battle of At Tiri.