Amy Ní Riada was working as a freelance journalist based in east Africa when the Dublin riots of November 2023 erupted. Having seen the Garda’s response to the shocking night of violence across the city centre, the former broadcaster with RTÉ and Radio Kerry decided on a career change and applied for a place in An Garda Síochána.
On Friday she was one of 194 newly attested gardaí to pass out at the Garda College, Templemore, Co Tipperary.
“After I spent a couple of years abroad, I picked up a lot of in-field experience, and found myself in a lot of high-pressure environments. And when I came home I wanted to try and stay in that line of work,” explained Ní Riada, who worked in east Africa – Kenya, Tanzania and Rwanda – as a freelance broadcaster for RTÉ Radio 1, Nuacht TG4, Raidió na Gaeltachta, Newstalk and Radio Kerry.
“When I was abroad, the riots happened in November 2023 in Dublin. And when I was considering my options for coming home, it was those riots that inspired me to join the guards. For some people, maybe that would send them running in the opposite direction. But for me it was an eye-opener; I wanted to be involved, to get stuck in that way.
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“It was something about the Garda response ... the regular members on regular units picked up their armour and just went up to Dublin. You had your public order units who were front and centre, but there was regular guards as well. For me, I could see myself jumping into a car and hitting the road for Dublin no matter where I was stationed in the country.”
Her journalistic work across east Africa resulted in her having a lot of contact with “the most vulnerable in society” and she believed a career in policing was “the perfect place” to continue in that vein. From Castleisland, Co Kerry, she will now be stationed in Midleton Garda station, Co Cork.
The class that passed out on Friday brings to about 800 the number of recruits to pass through the college this year, up about a third on last year. Another 225 recruits commence training on Monday, the biggest class to enter the college in a decade as post-pandemic Garda recruitment has finally taken off again.
Another new garda to be attested on Friday was Kristina Courtney, who has also opted for a career in policing after working as a journalist. Indeed, she was a producer on RTÉ’s Crimecall programme.
“I was a production co-ordinator, so I hired all the crew. I got the guys to look like the bad guys” – in reconstructions of featured crimes – “to make sure everything matched. And I assisted the guards when we were doing shoots,” she said.
“I got an insight into how An Garda Síochána works and the backgrounds of cases – cold cases to serious crimes. And I loved every single bit of it and I was motivated to become a guard.”
She described herself now as being “up for the challenge” as she commences her policing career at Dundalk Garda station.
Also among the passing out class was the oldest ever Garda graduate, Jeremiah Bourke. Aged 51 years, he said in the back of his mind he always wanted to be a Garda member and when the maximum age for recruits was increased last year from 35 to 50 years, he applied and was successful.
From Borrisoleigh, Co Tipperary, the married father has worked in retail and security and will now be posted to Kilkenny Garda station.
