A 50-year-old former referee has become the oldest probationer ever in An Garda Siochana.
Michael Connolly, from Aghyaran in west Tyrone, was one of 154 gardai who were attested as sworn members at the Garda College in Templemore, Co Tipperary, on Friday.
Mr Connolly said he was at Queen’s University 30 years ago and has a background in health and wellbeing.
He said his grandfather wanted to be a garda, but after his mother became sick he had to stay at home and maintain the farm, which remained his career for the rest of his life.
In December 2023 Mr Connolly’s father-in-law mentioned that the gardai were raising the age limit for new recruits from 35 to 50 the following month.
“I had one shot at it,” said Mr Connolly, who turned 50 in April 2025.
“January 2024 I went and made an application and everything snowballed after that.
“It was one hurdle after another and I clipped through a few of them and I thought, this could become real.
“Then the medical came around and I got through it, happy days.
“In December 2024, I landed down here and I’ve had nine months of challenge, pleasure, some great people and stationed in Milford for my placement, it’s all been very good.”
He also said his experience as a League of Ireland referee would help him as a garda.
Mr Connolly said: “The conflict, dealing with people, the sanctions, the penalties, there’s so many aspects of refereeing that transfer naturally to being a garda.
“Those skills of dealing with conflict, of dealing with pressure situations, dealing with people when they’re heated up, that gives me a bit of an idea (that he can manage such situations).”
He said his wife and three daughters, his parents, and his parents-in-law were at the ceremony on Friday.
Mr Connolly also said that a fellow probationer garda proposed to his girlfriend before the graduation ceremony began and she said yes.
Hannah Egan, 19, from Co Laois, said she got her Leaving Cert results two years ago but knew she wanted to be a garda like her father.
“I grew up always seeing him do it and I never wanted to do anything else, it was all I wanted, I was set on it,” she said.
“I’m looking forward to getting to know loads of people and if I can help a single person that will be my day’s work done, I’ll be happy.
“I think it’s all about having your head screwed on and I think if you have your head screwed on you’ll be absolutely fine.”
Caragh Byrne, 22, from Cork, said she wanted to become a garda to follow in the footsteps of her father Martin.
She said her father was very surprised when she said at 16 years old that she wanted to be a garda, and said he became emotional and proud when she applied.
Ms Byrne said: “Seeing my dad come home from work, asking for stories and I was so interested since I was little and in TY (transition year) when I went for work experience with the guards, I knew since then becoming a member of An Garda Siochana was something I wanted to do.
“Even today now seeing both of us in the same attire, it’s amazing really.”
She said the training was “amazing” and that joining the gardai was “the best thing I’ve ever done”.
Asked if her father had given her any advice, Ms Byrne said: “Be yourself, don’t change for anyone or anything.
“Be yourself and have your own character and your own mindset is the most important thing to becoming a member.”
