Garda recruitment: the former ex-pat - Longford based Garda Keith Dunleavy

Garda Recruitment Drive: If you've ever envisioned yourself wearing the famous blue uniform, you have until 3pm tomorrow, Thursday, Oct 9, to take the first step towards making it happen. Don't forget, the age limit for applicants has increased, so anyone between the ages of 18-50 can now apply. 

While studying, Garda students will receive a weekly wage of €354 in addition to free accommodation and food while training in Templemore College. Once qualified, they will be on a starting salary of €38,694. To apply, please visit www.publicjobs.ie  

The former ex-pat: Garda Keith Dunleavy 

“My dad always had the height of respect for the Gardaí, and when we were kids, he'd always tell us to wave at them and say hello. Real innocence! I remember we used to watch the British cop shows and in one was a team of Reserve Specials. At the time, dad said if something like that ever came to Ireland, he'd sign up for it.

The second the Garda Reserves was advertised, he went for it and got in! That was 2006 and he's still doing it. I actually met him today; he was on duty at the Sligo Races.

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At 17, I went to Sligo IT where I did pharmaceutical science but the idea of joining the Gardaí was still in the back of my mind.
When I filled out the first application to join, I was working in a factory at the time.

One day at work, a colleague started telling me about how much he wanted to go to Australia so I started giving him advice saying, “why don't you go? You only live once!” and all that.

When I came back after the weekend and asked the lads where he was, they told me he had taken my advice, packed in the job and was leaving for Australia a week later! That’s when it occurred to me that I should probably take my own advice, so I headed for Canada for five years!

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When dad told me in 2022 that the Gardaí were hiring again, straight away I applied to join. Thankfully, I passed all the initial steps and got an email telling me to be back in Ireland for a medical. I quit my job on the spot and flew home the next day to be sure I wouldn't miss the assessment.

I passed the medical and then went back to Canada for six months while I waited for the vetting to be completed.

My wife's Canadian so they had to vet the Canadian side which took a while. Once that was done however, I was asked to start in May, which I had to postpone, but I eventually walked into Templemore on July 31 2023. I then began working in Longford in April last year.

When I first started the job, I found it a bit difficult to get used to every day being so different, but now that’s honestly what I love most about the job.

What would you say to someone who is thinking of applying, but is hesitant due to factors such as age, lack of confidence, age, etc:
“You won’t know until you try it. There's 14 thousand people in the job that are well able to do this job, there’s no reason why you can’t. Having life experience is an advantage.

If I’d joined the job back when I filled out the application at 24, I wouldn't have been able for it. I went away. I saw different cultures, saw how things work differently; I took the good and left the bad.

Being that bit older and having life experience does help you in this job. The older you are, the more empathy you have for people, because you have a better sense of how things work in the world.”

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