One Hundred years of Policing & Security Captured

Capturing Our History is an oral history project, undertaken by the Garda Síochána Retired Members Association, to mark the centenary of the founding of An Garda Síochána in 1922.  The purpose of the project is to record stories and recollections that will help to tell the story of An Garda Síochána across the last century, in the voices of the men and women who were there.

Archive & interviews

The next Phase of this Project will commence shortly with many interviews being conducted  in 2023. The history of An Garda Síochána intersects with the life and soul of this nation and it must not be lost

Heritage Council Grant Award 2022

The project is continuing to collect, archive and share material. In 2022, we were successful in an application to the Heritage Council Community Grants Scheme, which has enabled the generation, editing and entry of an additional trench of audio segments, adding to existing themes, as well as the creation of new themes including Human Stories, Historical Experience, Garda Work and Joining the Force. We are indebted to the Heritage Council for their support.

Historic Parade

1,400 Civic Guards marched through Dublin 20 February 1923 , a parade of uniform Civic Guards took place in Dublin. The parade was led by Commissioner Eoin O’Duffy.

This event was marked by the presence of President W.T. Cosgrave, Mr. Kevin O’Higgins, Minister for Home Affairs; Mr. E. Blythe, Local Government; and Mr. P. Hughes, TD; Major-General McKeon, on the steps of Government Buildings in Merrion Street.

Latest stories from our Archive

Nacie Rice – Joined aged at 18 years of age – Templemore in 1972

MR. O'BRIEN:  It is the 19th of October 2021, and this is a recording of an interview that took place between Martin Drew of the GSRMA the Garda Síochána Retired Members Association in conjunction with the Oral History Project being run by that Association. He is...
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Rita Delaney – Dublin in the 1980s

 Interviewed  15 April 2021 Inspector Rita Delaney is a retired member of An Garda Siochána. A native of Laois, Rita joined the Gardaí in 1984 and spent three decades in the force, before retiring in 2013. In this piece of audio Rita outlines her experience...
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Photograph of Catherine Bartley with two clowns and a dog

Catherine Bartley – FEMALE GARDAÍ AND UNIFORM

Interviewed on 1 October 2021 Garda Catherine Bartley joined An Garda Síochána in 1987 and retired in 2019, having worked in various sections of the force, latterly the Dog Unit, where she spent many years and became well known for her work the Garda dogs. Catherine...
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Photograph of Patrick Campbell and wife Elizabeth at Dundrum, Dublin

Patrick Campbell – FIRST STATION

Interviewed on 12th October 1977   Patrick Campbell was born in Aughrim in County Galway on 26th January 1902. He joined An Garda Síochána on the 25th March 1922 and served in the force until the May 1956. He passed away in December 1979, just two years after he...
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Patrick Campbell – SOMETHING LIKE THE RIC

Interviewed on 12th October 1977 Patrick Campbell was born in Aughrim in County Galway on 26th January 1902. He joined An Garda Síochána on the 25th March 1922 and served in the force until May 1956. He passed away in December 1979, just two years after he was...
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Patrick Campbell – NOW WEARING THE UNIFORM

Interviewed on 12th October 1977   Patrick Campbell was born in Aughrim in County Galway in January 1902. He joined An Garda Síochána on the 25th March 1922 and served in the force until May 1956. He was one of the earliest members of An Garda Síocána (registered...
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Brendan Walsh – POSTED TO KILMAINHAM

Interviewed 7 July 2021 In this piece of audio, Brendan Walsh, a native of Dublin reflects on his first posting as a Garda to Kilmainham. He outlines his early experiences as a Garda and the insights he gained into Dublin life, which he had not been aware of prior to...
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Eamon Hession – EARLY LIFE AND JOINING AGS

Interviewed 18 June 2021   Eamon Hession is a retired Sergeant and native of Mayo. Here, he briefly outlines his background and explains how he became a member of An Garda Siochána. MS. DELANEY: So Eamon, if it's okay with you, I will start by asking you where...
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Joining The Force

For retired members of An Garda Síochána, the decision to join the organisation and the experience of those early days of training and becoming a Garda, are some of the most important and memorable.  Here, retired members of AGS, reflect on the various motives to...
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Photograph of John O'Brien

John O’Brien Interviewed 2020 TRAINING DAYS IN TEMPLEMORE

Interviewed 2020 John O'Brien from Ballinhassig in Cork joined the Gardaí in 1968. On retiring almost 40 years later in 2006, he had reached the rank of Detective Chief Superintendent. He had also been Head of the National Office for Interpol and Europol. This...
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