WATCH: Louth man's journey from law student to Garda
The Louth man says his law studies and family ties inspired his Garda career
A Drogheda man has followed in his father's footsteps after graduating as one of Ireland's newest members of An Garda Síochána.
Seán Toner was among 206 Garda recruits sworn in during a graduation ceremony at the Garda College in Templemore, in County Tipperary on Friday, July 24, marking the start of his new career.
Seán, who will now be based in Coolock in North Dublin, said his route into An Garda Síochána was shaped by both his family background and his studies.
Before joining the Gardaí, Seán was studying law at Dublin City University for three years while working part-time as a bartender.
He explained that a career in policing had always appealed to him, with his father's own service playing a major role.
"My father is actually an Inspector based in Drogheda, so I was always leaning towards it, and doing the law degree in college got me interested in legal affairs," Seán said.
Admitting that a career in the Gardaí was in the blood, Seán said he is looking forward to starting his new role.
"I am going to be based in Coolock, in North Dublin. I am from Drogheda so it is not too far away" he said.
Seán graduated as part of Intake 254, which saw 206 Garda recruits take the oath of office on Friday morning. The class represents the largest single attestation since 2019, before the disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Addressing the press, Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration Jim O'Callaghan congratulated the new Garda recruits as they embarked on their careers in public service.
"I want to wish all the members of An Garda Síochána well in their careers. It is a very worthwhile career they are embarking on and also that obviously there are risks involved in it but that I suppose is part of the reason why people want to devote themselves to public service within An Garda Síochána," he said.
The Minister also welcomed the attendance of PSNI Chief Constable John Boutcher at the ceremony.
"I also want to mention I very much welcome the fact that we have the Chief Constable of the PSNI down here today, John Boutcher, and I want to welcome him to the passing out as well," he added.
Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly said the graduation marked another significant step in strengthening frontline policing throughout the country.
"We have 206 members of An Garda Síochána being attested today so that is really welcome for communities all around the country and in addition to that we have just over 200 people arriving into our college on Sunday night. So we are in a really good position around resourcing at the moment," he said.
The newly sworn Gardaí were recruited through the 2024 and 2025 recruitment campaigns and completed a blend of classroom learning at the Garda College in Templemore alongside practical training in Garda stations.
Of the 206 graduates, 142 are male and 64 are female. The class also reflects the increasing diversity of An Garda Síochána, with 24 members born outside Ireland representing 15 different countries.
The new probationer Gardaí have now been assigned to stations across the country, with 94 allocated to the Dublin Region, 56 to the Eastern Region, 25 to the Southern Region and 31 to the North Western Region.
The latest attestation brings the total number of probationer Gardaí sworn in since recruitment resumed in 2022 to more than 2,200.
An Garda Síochána currently has a strength of 14,733 sworn members, supported by 3,683 Garda staff, 304 Garda Reserves and 604 Garda trainees. Recruitment continues, with a further 404 recruits currently training at the Garda College and another intake of more than 200 trainees due to begin on Monday, July 27.