14 November 2025
- Taoiseach and Minister O’Callaghan welcome largest single attestation of new Gardaí since 2019
- Major allocations to Cork and Dublin to support high visibility policing
- 194 Gardaí – 57 women and 137 men – and 17 Garda Reserves – 13 men and 4 women – will now be assigned to Garda Divisions across the country
- Largest class of Garda recruits in a decade to enter the Garda College next week.
An Taoiseach Micheál Martin and the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, Jim O’Callaghan welcomed the attestation of 194 new Gardaí and 17 Garda Reserves at a ceremony in the Garda College in Templemore today.
Speaking at the Garda College, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said:
“An Garda Síochána was established over a hundred years ago and it continues
to thrive because it grows and adapts with the times. It is a great honour to be
here today and witness the continued growth of An Garda Síochána and to
welcome its newest members.
“We are in a unique and envied position in Ireland where trust between the
public and the Gardaí is strong and where communities want to see more
Gardaí visible in their communities That’s why we’ve committed strongly in the
Programme for Government to strengthening An Garda Síochána over the next
five years.
“At its core, being a Garda is about public service of the highest order. I want to
wish our new Gardaí the very best as they embark on their careers serving and
protecting the people of Ireland.”
Today’s attestation will include a large allocation of probationer Gardaí to Cork to support high visibility policing. 36 Probationer Gardaí from today’s group will be assigned to Cork City Division. This brings the total of number probationer Gardaí allocated to county Cork this year to 76, the largest since the Garda College re-opened in 2014.
Of the 194 attesting today, 137 are men and 57 are women. The new probationer Gardaí will be assigned to Garda Divisions across the country by the Garda Commissioner.
87 of the new Gardaí will be deployed across the Dublin Metropolitan Region, with 47 going to the Southern Region, 39 to the Eastern Region and 21 to North Western Region.
Minister Jim O’Callaghan added:
“My number one priority as Minister is to strengthen An Garda Síochána
through increased recruitment. High visibility policing in our cities and
communities is central to deterring crime and in making the public feel safe. I am
fully supportive and welcome the Commissioner’s operational plan to further
implement highly visibility policing. . The class of 194 new Gardaí, the largest
since 2019, and 17 Garda Reserves attesting today, will have an important role
to play in conducting high visibility operations. .
“The number of applications to join An Garda Síochána this year, over 11,100
through two recruitment campaigns, demonstrates the strong interest in joining
the organisation and in making a positive difference in our communities.
“I am also extremely pleased that next week over 200 new Garda recruits will
enter Templemore to commence their training. This will be the largest intake of
Gardaí trainees in over a decade.”
Notes to Editors
As of today, 619 new Gardaí have attested from the Garda College this year.
571 trainees have entered the Garda College so far in 2025, with a further intake due to begin training next week.
The government is committed to building stronger, safer communities, andstrengthening An Garda Síochána is at the core of that. This is reflected in the unprecedented allocation of over €2.59 billion to An Garda Síochána in Budget 2026.
This funding allows for the continued recruitment of Gardaí , Garda Reserves and
Garda staff.
A second Garda recruitment campaign ran across September and October this year
and received over 4,300 applications. The first recruitment campaign of 2025 ran in
February and attracted over 6,700 applications.
This builds on the steady pipeline of new recruits, which will continue to enter the
College at regular intervals throughout next year.
Strength of An Garda Síochána (14 th November 2025)
- 14,481 Sworn Gardaí
- 312 Garda Reserves
- 3,657 Garda Staff
