Carrickmacross is to get five new Gardaí after 207 probationers were attested at the Garda College in Templemore on Friday, 16 October, Northern Sound has reported.
In all, 13 of the new members are being assigned to the Cavan-Monaghan division. Six are going to Bailieborough, five to Carrickmacross, one to Cavan and one to Monaghan town.
Where the new Gardaí are going
Bailieborough and Carrickmacross between them take 11 of the 13 places, making the south of the division the main beneficiary of this intake. Monaghan town gets one new member.
Garda headquarters said the new probationers are placed first in training stations, and that this frees up transfers of other members between divisions. As a result of those knock-on moves, it said, every Garda division in the country will see an increase in numbers.
Nationally, 84 of the 207 are going to the Dublin Metropolitan Region, 76 to the Eastern Region, 27 to the North-Western Region and 20 to the Southern Region.
Record number of Gardaí
According to the Garda press office, the force now has 14,825 sworn members, the highest in the history of the State. The previous peak was 14,758, in March 2020.
Intake 261 is the largest class to pass out of Templemore since before the Covid-19 pandemic. It is made up of 136 men and 71 women, and includes 24 Gardaí born outside the State, from 15 different countries. The class began training on 9 February this year and was recruited through the 2024 and 2025 campaigns.
Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly told the new members they were joining the force "at a time of significant growth and development".
"Following today's event, An Garda Síochána will have the highest level of Gardaí in its history, as we now approach 15,000 Gardaí," he said. He added that close to 1,000 new Gardaí are expected to pass through the Garda College this year.
Local reaction
Monaghan Senator Robbie Gallagher welcomed the allocation, telling Northern Sound that "many more announcements like this" are needed.
The question of Garda numbers on the ground has come up repeatedly in the county in recent weeks, including calls from councillors for a stronger Garda presence on north Monaghan roads.
More on the way
A further 398 recruits are currently training at Templemore, and the next intake is due to enter the college on Monday, 2 November. New classes start every 11 to 12 weeks.
More than 2,400 probationer Gardaí have now been attested since recruitment resumed in 2022. Recruits complete 32 weeks of foundation training, split between the college and operational stations, before being attested.
Garda headquarters has not published a full station-by-station breakdown of the latest allocations. The local figures above are as reported by Northern Sound.
