An Garda Síochána station in Carlow town, Ireland is located on the Athy Road. The station moved there from its location on Tullow Street in 1991. An Garda Síochána (Guardian of the Peace), which is the police force of Ireland, has its headquarters in the Phoenix Park in Dublin.
The Peace Preservation act of 1814 brought about the establishment of the first police force in Ireland. However it was the Irish Constabulary Act of 1822 that saw the real beginning of an Irish Police Force. Under that Act a police force was established in each province in Ireland. A police command structure was put in place which had its headquarters in Dublin.
The Constabulary (Ireland) Act of 1836 further reorganised the new police force and led to the introduction a constabulary code of regulations. Permission to name The Irish Constabulary as the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) was granted by Queen Victoria in 1867. The RIC became the model for many other police forces around the world.
In 1822 seventy two police officers of the new Irish Constabulary were appointed to stations throughout County Carlow. For the purposes of policing, County Carlow was divided into two districts, Carlow and Bagenalstown. Eight police officers were assigned to Carlow Town which was designated as the headquarters for the county. The remainder were assigned to sixteen other police stations around the county.
Following independence in 1922 the RIC was replaced by a new police force called the Civic Guard. The Civic Guard was later renamed An Garda Síochána. The RIC departed from Carlow in February 1922 and were replaced by the Civic Guard the following September.
Twenty eight Garda and three Sergeants took up duty in Carlow town in the year 1922 On This Day.
badge – Ireland Eire – Garda Siochana LAPEL PIN by conner395 on 2013-07-19 23:03:50
Garda Headquarters, Phoenix Park, Dublin
My father joined the Gardaí in Carlow in 1922 becoming a Sergeant and Weights and Measures Inspector for Co Carlow until he retired in 1959. He had a flat at 1 Leinster Crescent in Carlow. His name was Francis Joseph Keenan (same as mine).
Thank you for that Francis. It must have been an exciting time for your father, being one of the first policemen in the new Irish State.
It was. He joined on the same day as his brother Jack (Keenan) who became a Superintendent in the Dublin Metropolitan Gardaí. They were two of the first to join the newly formed force after the formation of the Irish Free State. Ironically, Jack died on the same day that my father retired in 1959. He’s buried in Glasnevin.
My uncle, Pat Gordon, was also in the first group to join the Gardaí in 1922.