A Co. Galway man was remembered this past week at the Dublin Embassy in Washington where his family was awarded a poignant medal years after his death.

Paddy Casserly, from Grealishtown, Co. Galway, emigrated to the U.S. when he was 19 in the early 1950's to work in Boston.

Casserly, a hurler in his day, initially lived with his two grand-aunts in Boston and soon found work.

However, he wasn't long in Boston when he was conscripted into the American Army where he served as a gunner with the U.S. artillery unit.

Casserly, who worked in Harvard University later in life, survived the war and spent his remaining years in Boston playing hurling in strong Irish community.

The Galway man died in 1980 at 49. He was buried in Galway.

Earlier this year his family were asked for some details pertaining to Casserly's years in Boston from the US government.

On Tuesday, August 24, along with 10 other veterans, Casserly's family was presented with a bronze commemorative medal to mark the 60th anniversary of the start of the Korean War.

“It was a very emotional day especially when the US ambassador pinned Paddy’s meal onto my jacket. An awful lot of happy memories came flooding back – he was an older brother and I was very close to him,” Celia said.