Five new garda first assigned to cavan district in five years

Five new garda recruits direct from the college in Templemore have been assigned to units at Cavan Garda Station, the first probationary gardaí to come to the division in five years.
Superintendent Jimmy Coen explained to The Anglo-Celt that their assignment to a busy centre like Cavan is part of their ongoing training and induction over the coming 17 weeks.
“Over that duration they will gain as much experience as is possible with various units such as traffic, crime and drugs and in fact all types of policing,” he explained.
Reflecting on the moratorium on recruitment in the public sector, Supt Coen added: “During that five years we have lost some of our most experienced personnel – people that had given great service to Cavan and the community. Today is an opportunity to welcome these probationers.”
He noted that the Taoiseach Enda Kenny vowed at the recent graduation ceremony that there would never be a moratorium on the recruitment of gardaí again.
“As a district officer and a senior manager in the Gardaí, we are very pleased to hear that,” said Supt Coen.
“You can see the real benefits here today when units have got so short. Our commitment has always been to provide a service to the public and to victims of crime – this is the first tangible signs we have seen of it in five years,” he added.
Welcoming the new recruits to Cavan, Supt Coen wished them all the best in their careers in An Garda Siochána and assured them of his support.

A good station
One of the new recruits, Garda Peter McGee from Donegal, said he was looking forward to getting started in the job. “Thankfully I have been assigned to a good station here in Cavan,” he said.
Together with some of his new colleagues, he was assigned to some traffic control duty at the Taste of Cavan last weekend under the Direction of Sergeant Damien Galligan. “It was good to get involved with the community out there and we met some lovely people out there and look forward to meeting them in the future,” he said.
Garda McGee explained that the course in Templemore takes eight and a half months after which you are put on probation for two years.
“It is quite intense but enjoyable at the same time,” he said.
Garda Shane O’Gara from Glencolmcille in Donegal told The Anglo-Celt that he always wanted to be a Garda from a young age. “I had an uncle in the Guards and I always looked up to him when I was younger,” he said.
Garda Alan Jones from Kenagh in County Longford also had a penchant to be a Garda from an early age, and the fact that he lived across from the garda barracks was a “big influence”.
Garda Dylan Ramsey from Ballybofey enjoyed his first day of traffic duty at the Taste of Cavan. “We were speaking to a lot of people and the Guards are very well perceived in Cavan. The people were interested in us and wanted to know about us,” he said.
Garda Michael Taheny from Sligo Town is the first person in his family to join the Force and also wanted to be a Garda from a young age. By coincidence, he also lived close to the Garda Station. “When the Gardaí came into school to give talks at a young age, I was inspired then,” he said.
Sergeant Damien Galligan who is the Sergeant in Charge at Cavan Garda Station said the three new gardaí were out with him at the Taste of Cavan and they got on very well. “They met a lot of people and made a good impression when they were there,” he said.
Sergeant Regina McArdle is the training sergeant attached to Monaghan Garda Station and she will be travelling to Cavan Station to do classes with the new recruits once a week. “They are very enthusiastic and committed”, she said.