Five new gardai from Offaly among latest graduates
Five people from Offaly became sworn members of An Garda Síochána at a graduation ceremony in Templemore recently.
The new gardai were among a group of 167 who graduated during a formal ceremony at the Garda Training College on Friday, February 6.
Of the 167 graduates, no new recruits are to be posted to Garda Stations in the county.
Justice Minister Jim O'Callaghan and Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly were in attendance, as well as family members of the new gardai.
The five gardai from Offaly are Sam McLoughlin, who will be stationed at Crumlin, Laura Nolan, who will be stationed at Lucan, Daniel Hand, who will be stationed at Henry Street, Aine Tooher, who will be stationed at Rathmines and Matthew O'Brien, who is to be stationed at Naas.
The 167 garda graduates were made up of 100 men and 67 women, with 23 of the new recruits being born outside of the state, hailing from Australia, Brazil, Croatia, England, Guatemala, India, Isle of Man, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Mauritius, Poland, Romania, Slovakia.
These newly-attested 167 members of An Garda Síochána were recruited as part of the 2024/25 recruitment campaigns.
The new gardaí commenced their Garda training on June 9 2025 and have undertaken a blend of online learning, on-site learning in the Garda College, and experiential learning in training Garda stations.
Speaking at the passing out parade Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly said it is one of the greatest privileges in life to serve the people of Ireland.
"I would like to acknowledge the choice you have all made here to become a Garda.
"You join more than 18,000 Gardaí and Garda staff who each play a pivotal role in keeping people safe.
"Of course, you would not be here but for the support shown by your families and loved ones.
"And so, I want to take a moment to thank your extended network who have brought you to this stage in your career and who will continue to support you in the years ahead. They provide a steady and stabilising presence.
"Before you go onto your stations, remember this - as Gardaí, it is your job to keep people safe, particularly the most vulnerable in society.
"Thank you all for choosing a career in An Garda Síochána and may I wish you every success if your future careers," the Garda Commissioner said.
A further 410 Garda recruits are currently undergoing the training programme at the Garda College in Templemore.
The next intake of Garda recruits of up to 215 Garda trainees, entered the Garda College on Monday of this week (February 9).
As of February 6 2026, there are 14,564 sworn members of An Garda Síochána, 3,692 Garda staff, 308 Garda reserves and 625 Garda trainees.