Garda sergeant appointed to Baile Mhúirne four years after last sergeant retired

The Gaeltacht region of Múscraí in mid Cork is to have a Garda sergeant once again, more than four years after the last sergeant retired.

A campaign by local groups and Cork North West Fianna Fáil TD, Aindrias Moynihan, has resulted in an appointment being made to fill the vacancy left by the retirement of former sergeant, Con Lynch, in March 2019.

One of the reasons for the lengthy delay in appointing a sergeant to the Gaeltacht Mhúscraí station was the lack of suitable candidates with sufficient fluency in Irish to serve in a Gaeltacht community. 

Garda Commissioner Drew Harris has committed to ensuring that Garda members serving in Gaeltacht postings would have fluent Irish.

“I’ve been raising this in the Dáil and at Joint Policing Committee meetings continuously since Sergeant Lynch retired,” said the locally based TD, Aindrias Moynihan. 

“It was very important that a sergeant with Irish was appointed.” 

The new sergeant is due to take up the post next week, according to Deputy Moynihan, and is in addition to two other Gardaí stationed in Baile Mhúirne. This station will also have responsibility for policing in Béal Átha’n Ghaorthaidh, which is approximately 16 kilometres from Baile Mhúirne.

In a response from the Garda Presss Office, a spokesman said that it was not their policy to comment on appointments for ranks lower than superintendent, but that a sergeant had been appointed to Baile Mhúirne.