A History of the Garda Síochána

A History of the Garda Síochána
Author: Liam McNiffe
Publisher: Irish American Book Company
Total Pages: 242
Release: 1997
Genre: History
ISBN:

The Garda Síochána, formerly called the Civic Guard, is the national police force in the Republic of Ireland.

Policing Twentieth Century Ireland

Policing Twentieth Century Ireland
Author: Vicky Conway
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 304
Release: 2013-08-15
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 113508954X

The twentieth century was a time of rapid social change in Ireland: from colonial rule to independence, civil war and later the Troubles; from poverty to globalisation and the Celtic Tiger; and from the rise to the fall of the Catholic Church. Policing in Ireland has been shaped by all of these changes. This book critically evaluates the creation of the new police force, an Garda Síochána, in the 1920s and analyses how this institution was influenced by and responded to these substantial changes. Beginning with an overview of policing in pre-independence Ireland, this book chronologically charts the history of policing in Ireland. It presents data from oral history interviews with retired gardaí who served between the 1950s and 1990s, giving unique insight into the experience of policing Ireland, the first study of its kind in Ireland. Particular attention is paid to the difficulties of transition, the early encounters with the IRA, the policing of the Blueshirts, the world wars, gangs in Dublin and the growth of drugs and crime. Particularly noteworthy is the analysis of policing the Troubles and the immense difficulties that generated. This book is essential reading for those interested in policing or Irish history, but is equally important for those concerned with the legacy of colonialism and transition.

Guardians of the Peace

Guardians of the Peace
Author: Conor Brady
Publisher:
Total Pages: 350
Release: 2022-04
Genre:
ISBN: 9781848408418

A history of the early years of the Irish police force.

The Civic Guard Mutiny

The Civic Guard Mutiny
Author: Brian McCarthy
Publisher: Mercier Press Ltd
Total Pages: 247
Release: 2012-09-03
Genre: History
ISBN: 1781171513

On the morning of 15th May, 1922, over 1,000 recruits of the newly established Civic Guard suddenly broke ranks during Commissioner Michael Staines' TD address at Morning Parade in the training depot at Kildare Barracks. The recruits immediately set about raiding the armoury while Staines and his senior officers withdrew under armed protection and evacuated the barracks much to the annoyance of Michael Collins, the Chairman of the fledgling Provisional Government. For almost seven weeks, Collins and the mutineers struggled to reconcile their differences in the midst of the Irish Civil War. Both sides were unaware that their efforts to resolve the dispute were thwarted by a group of anti-Treaty Civic Guards intent on destroying the new force. This book investigates the reasons why the earliest recruits of the Civic Guard took up arms against their own masters and brought about a significant security risk that had direct implications for both the civil war and the future structure of the its successor, An Garda Síochána.

An Garda Síochána and the Scott Medal

An Garda Síochána and the Scott Medal
Author: Gerard O'Brien
Publisher:
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2008
Genre: Awards
ISBN: 9781846821240

This book recounts in detail each of the incidents in respect of which members of An Garda Síochána, even today an unarmed police force, were awarded the Scott Medal, a uniquely Irish gallantry decoration. Based on a range of published and unpublished sources, along with the personal recollections of still-serving Gardaí and including outline career details for each medal recipient, it is the first compilation of its kind in respect of Irish police bravery awards. It represents not only a fitting tribute to those named therein but is also an important contribution to the history of the Force and to the social history of the Irish state.

Changing of the Guard

Changing of the Guard
Author: Tim Doyle
Publisher:
Total Pages:
Release: 2021-09-10
Genre:
ISBN: 9781782189299

Jack Marrinan was a key modernizer of policing in Ireland. He was elected to the national executive of the Representative Body for Guards (RBG), the precursor to the Garda Representative Association (GRA). When younger gardaí were excluded from a pay award in 1961, the RBG instructed its members to "go slow" in implementing traffic regulations in Dublin. A meeting of protesting gardaí at the Macushla ballroom in Dublin was proscribed. About 160 guards who attended were served with disciplinary notices charging them with discreditable conduct. Eleven men, including Marrinan, were dismissed by the commissioner. Changing of the Guard tells the story of Marrinan as a transformational figure in the force at a time of great social and economic change. Under his leadership, the GRA evolved into a skilful and powerful negotiating body. Nearly all of the advantages that gardaí enjoy today in their service are built on the foundations he established.

The Royal Irish Constabulary

The Royal Irish Constabulary
Author: Jim Herlihy
Publisher: Open Air
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2016
Genre: Ireland
ISBN: 9781846826153

This new, revised and expanded edition brings back into print an excellent resource for those interested in the history of the RIC and the revolutionary period generally. In the period 1816 to 1922 some 85,000 men served in the RIC and its predecessor forces. Information on all these policemen is available, constituting a quarry for their descendants in Ireland, the US and elsewhere. The book consists of chapters on the history of policing in Ireland (to illustrate the type of men in the Force, their background and their lifestyle etc.), followed by a section on 'Tracing your ancestors in the RIC'. New appendices to this edition identify members of the RIC who were rewarded for their service during the Young Ireland Rising, 1848; the Fenian Rising, 1867; the Easter Rising, 1916; and the War of Independence, 1919-21. Also members of the RIC who volunteered for service in the Mounted Staff Corps and the Commissariat during the Crimean War; members who served as drivers and orderlies on secondment to the Irish Hospital in the South African War in 1900; and members who served in the British Army in the First World War are identified. RIC recipients of the King George V, Coronation (Police) Medal, 1911; the Constabulary Medal; and the Kings Police Medal are listed, as are ex-RIC men who transferred to the Royal Ulster Constabulary in 1922 and received additional bravery medals. [Subject: 19th Century History, 20th Century History, Policing, Genealogy & Archives, Ireland]

The Blue Wall of Silence

The Blue Wall of Silence
Author: Vicky Conway
Publisher:
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2010
Genre: History
ISBN: 9780716530305

Framing two men for a murder that never occurred. Orchestrating fake IRA bomb 'finds' either side of the border. Planting guns and drugs. False arrests, abuse of detainees, and securing false confessions. These were the institutionalized activities in the Donegal division of Siochana that were the subject of a landmark tribunal conducted by Justice Morris. In October 2008, after six years, the Morris Tribunal completed its work. Its findings catalogued corruption, negligence, misconduct, and 'a blue wall of silence' in an Garda Siochana, on an unprecedented scale. The reports also highlight the inadequacies of existing accountability systems that were reformed substantially mid-way through the work of the Tribunal, by the Garda Siochana Act 2005. The findings and recommendations of the Tribunal are particularly striking in a country where public confidence in the police has historically been exceptionally high, and criticisms of the police slow to be aired. The Blue Wall of Silence questions what contribution the Tribunal has made to the accountability of the Garda Siochana, asking not just whether it has held the Gardai involved to account, but also what impact it has had on both the accountability apparatus and broader public and political attitudes towards an Garda Siochana. Has the Tribunal fundamentally altered perceptions of the Irish police or has its work been dismissed as a blip caused by a few rotten apples? Justice Morris warned that, without substantial reform, the activities documented could reoccur elsewhere in Ireland. Has a sufficient level of reform been achieved? In addressing these questions, the book makes a substantial contribution to national and international debates on police accountability, raising within democratic societies the crucial relationships between official inquiries, policy reform, and police governance.

The Dublin Metropolitan Police

The Dublin Metropolitan Police
Author: Jim Herlihy
Publisher: Four Courts Press
Total Pages: 294
Release: 2001
Genre: History
ISBN:

Some 12,566 men enlisted in the Dublin Metropolitan Police between the force's formation, in 1836, and its amalgamation with the Garda Siochana, in 1925. Herlihy is interested less in providing a formal history of the force, he writes, than in positioning the DMP in its historical context, showing the sort of men recruited to the force, describing the conditions they worked under, and supplying anecdotal information about a few members. A final chapter offers tips for descendants who want to trace their ancestors in the DMP. Herlihy is also the author of two books on the Royal Irish Constabulary. Distributed by ISBS. c. Book News Inc.

The Making of a Detective

The Making of a Detective
Author: Pat Marry
Publisher: Penguin UK
Total Pages: 304
Release: 2019-09-26
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1844884546

When he retired in 2018 Pat Marry had been instrumental in solving dozens of serious crimes, including many murders. But as a newly qualified garda in 1985, Marry had no idea how to become a detective. He soon realised he would have to learn on the job - put himself forward and show that he had what it took. Taking initiative, following up hunches (even far-fetched ones), obsessing about details, trying new investigative techniques, thinking laterally - these were essential. In addition, you had to be a bit of a psychologist. The Making of a Detective follows Pat Marry's path from rookie to Detective Inspector through the stories of key cases he worked on and investigations he led. It includes high profile cases like Rachel Calally's murder by her husband Joe O'Reilly. But there are also stories that have faded from public memory, such as the 1995 murder of Marilyn Rynn, which involved the first use of DNA evidence to solve a crime in Ireland. Or the 2001 murder of Mary Gough, a case solved mainly by scrutinizing her husband's internet use - then a new investigative tool. The Making of a Detective is a unique and gripping insight into the work of a dedicated garda operating at the very top of his profession. 'An absolutely fascinating book ... Really interesting stories and insights' Sean O'Rourke, RTÉ Radio 1 'An absolute must-read . . . as page turning as a crime novel' Irish Examiner