Longford Garda leaves the army for a more community based role

The variety of work in An Garda Síochána and the opportunity to help local communities and improve lives led to Longford-based Garda Conor Foley switching from the Irish Army to the Gardaí.

The 35 year-old, who was in the Irish Army for 12 years, made the move in January 2023 and he said it is a fulfilling, challenging and interesting career and he has absolutely no regrets.

The latest Garda recruitment competition opened on February 6 last and it will run until 3pm on Thursday February 27 next.
Garda trainees are attested after 36 weeks and start on a salary of €37,311 which rises incrementally.

Conor, from the Moate area of Co Westmeath, said he would recommend the Gardaí to anyone who wants a job full of social interaction, variety and an ability to make a huge difference in the lives of people and local communities.

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"I wanted to be hands-on and help people and to be honest I always wanted to join the guards," he added.

Conor works four 12-hour shifts and then he has four days off and his rostered hours consist of 7pm until 7am and 7am until 7pm shifts.

He began his nine-month period as a probationary or trainee in the Garda College in May 2022 with an initial three month stint in Templemore, which was followed by a three months at his 'learning station' in Tullamore.

Conor then completed a second 12-week period at the Garda College before moving on to Longford Garda Station as a fully-fledged Garda with powers of arrest.

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He recalled the first guard he ever came across in his small close-knit community was a man named PJ Hoey, a county Roscommon native.

"He was always helping people in the community and for some reason that always struck me and I always wanted to help people," he added.

Conor said he applied for the guards when he was younger but he was unsuccessful at that time.

"I didn't get it, I went to college and I went to the army and I've now ended up in Longford," he added.

Conor comes from a family steeped in the Irish Army and he previously served for 12 years and he followed in the footsteps of his father John, who served for 46 years, and his mother Veronica, who had 21 years of service.

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"We are actually the only complete family who served overseas in the Irish Army as in mother, father and son or daughter," he added.

Conor did three tours and trips overseas in South Lebanon on the 107 batallion, the 116 batallion and the 118 batallion and he said like the guards it was challenging at times but rewarding.

The 2024 Garda trainee competition was the first following the Government's decision to increase the entry age limit to apply to become a Garda trainee from 35 years to 50.

Conor believes it is a big positive that people are joining An Garda Síochána after gaining experience in a huge variety of roles and with adaptable life skills.

"I definitely feel I had life experience coming into the role and I feel it was a positive for everyone," he added.

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Conor said he would certainly encourage people who are eligible, with an interest in training to be a guard in Templemore that it is never too late.

"What you have with life experience is communication skills and if you can talk to people and listen to people that is so important, it's something so easy and it's what we use every day," he added.

Templemore

Conor said the opportunity to help the community and make a difference and the pension led to him deciding to join the Gardaí and he was part of a class of 35 in Templemore earning €178 per week.

"It was a mixture of class-based learning and you are learning different subjects which includes the law itself, the roles of An Garda Síochána, there is regular fitness testing and you do self-defence classes," he added.

Conor said from Monday to Friday you are more or less with your class from 7am in the morning until 7pm in the evening.

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"Some of my closest friends are now guards obviously and it's like when I was in the army when you are confined in that environment there are friendships and a camaraderie that develops," he said. "You just buy in, obviously you have people you are more friendly with than others."

Last year there was an increase in pay for Probationer Gardaí and they now receive about double that rate of remuneration at €354 every week.

Conor said it was fantastic to have free accommodation and food, which was very welcome, but it was challenging at times.

"It was very tough at the time (financially) but there are loads of people down there who are willing to help," he said. "There were plenty of people with children down there and it's a big career change if you want to go down but I wouldn't steer you away from it, you have access to the Garda credit union who will give you a loan and the repayments are very reasonable."

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Conor stated he completed his three month Garda work placement at Tullamore Garda Station.

"They try to accommodate you (with travel distance) because we were on the poorer allowances back then and they put you in what they call a learning station," he said. "Tullamore would be seen to be a busy station, so for example you wouldn't be sent to Ballymahon, you'd be in Longford town."

Conor said he was not surprised by any element of the job when he began using his power of arrest and he began working on a Garda unit.

"I thought Templemore really prepared me for that, you are nine months down there in that environment and they are training you to be ready," he said. "Now, obviously since I got out you are dealing with different things like public order, fraud, theft, drugs, community policing, everything, the scope of this job is incredible, there is no day the very same."

Job variety

Conor said he gets a lot of fulfillment and satisfaction from his job, which is certainly a job less ordinary.

"Next week I'm doing school talks, I'm in court, I'm also dealing with public orders, thefts, everything is completely different and the one thing I would say is you are able to help the people in the community and that is something I do not take for granted," he said. "We talk about people who have addictions or anything nowadays and they need to have the courage to help themselves but it's the very same thing for someone who comes into Longford Garda Station, they are just looking for help and fair play to them that they realise I can go in and talk to someone.

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So I take that responsibility and I treat it accordingly.

Conor said for example they regularly assist victims of domestic violence attending Longford Garda Station.

"An Garda Síochána has a wonderful partnership with Longford Women's Link and we are able to refer them to them and refer them to the courts for orders and stuff like that," he said. "Sometimes a family member wants to come in and talk and reach out to us and see what services [are available] that we can help them with."

Conor said Gardaí have to make arrests but they can also make a tangible difference in situations like that.

"For example, with mental health issues we can reach out and we can talk to these people and say, 'Do you want to see a doctor?, 'Can we try and help you to see a doctor? and we will give them advice and we essentially guide them down the right path," he added.

Conor stated he would like to specialise and work as a community guard in the future and assist people as much as possible.

"People don't realise the amount of work the community policing in Longford does.

"For example, we could have a neighbour who will ring you and say they are worried about an older gentleman who lost his wife.

"We are going out and we are dealing with that man and we're actually following up on calls just to check on him every so often, we are steering him in the right direction.

"People don't realise that side of the job we do as well, it's not just all the drug busts or stopping robberies and things like that," he concluded.

*The latest Garda recruitment is being operated by the Public Appointments Service on behalf of An Garda Síochána, who are urging prospective candidates to apply at www.publicjobs.ie.