By Róise Collins
An Garda Síochána is ramping up efforts to take on new members as part of their latest recruitment campaign, which launched last Thursday.
The recruitment drive will run until 3pm on Thursday, February 27 with prospective candidates encouraged to explore the benefits of a career as a Garda.
This week, the Donegal News spoke with Donegal-based Garda Eimear Hassett about her career, which took an unexpected turn from a diploma in secondary education to her current role as a Garda Detective in a specialised unit.
Ten years ago, Eimear, a native of County Clare, had just completed a Bachelor of Arts at Mary Immaculate College in Limerick. Like many of
her friends, she considered pursuing a diploma in secondary school teaching.
However, she quickly realised that teaching wasn’t for her and found herself at a crossroads. It was around this time that the Garda
recruitment process opened, and with encouragement from her parents, she decided to apply.
“I never saw myself as the type to be a Garda, but I kept an open mind,” she explained.
“I went through the recruitment process with the thought that if I didn’t like it, I could always leave. But I never left. I really enjoyed
it much more than I expected.”
Now, ten years later, Eimear works as a detective in the Divisional Protective Services Unit (DPSU), focusing on the investigation of
specialised crime types, including sexual crimes, human trafficking, child abuse, and serious domestic abuse cases.
Eimear graduated from the Garda College in Templemore in 2015 and spent four years working in Tullamore, County Offaly.
As part of its ongoing recruitment campaign, An Garda Síochána highlights the career’s potential for advancement and specialisation.
Eimear herself can attest to this, noting the variety of roles available within the Gardaí.
“There are lots of opportunities to move sideways into different departments, but being in uniform can sometimes be the most diverse role
of all,” she said.
Throughout her career, Eimear has completed courses in areas such as advanced driving, focusing on response driving; a public order course,
which is typically deployed during the Donegal Rally; and mountain biking.
She was also part of a task force established in 2020 to disrupt the drug supply in the Donegal division.
Eimear also shared how her perception of the job has evolved over the years.
“A lot of people watch cop shows and think it’s going to be like that, but sometimes it’s not as exciting,” she laughed.
“But despite all the bad press at times, being a Garda is truly a job worth doing.”
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