Waterford will be allocated eight new Garda members across the city and county following the latest Garda attestation ceremony at the Garda College in Templemore, which took place on Friday 14 November, last.
During the ceremony, a total of 194 new Gardaí and 17 Garda Reserves were sworn in, and they will now be deployed to Garda stations across the country. The Eastern region, which consists of the Waterford / Kilkenny, Wexford / Wicklow, Kildare / Carlow, Laois / Offaly and Meath / Westmeath areas, will receive a total of 39 new recruits altogether.
Eight new Gardaí will be deployed to Waterford, with two being sent to Dungarvan and the remaining six to Waterford City. Elsewhere, three Garda members will be allocated to Kilkenny, while Wexford and Clonmel will both receive just one newly qualified Garda each.
Garda Reserves, who are a volunteer force drawn from members of the public, perform duties alongside full-time Gardaí such as providing support during policing operations. Just one Garda reserve member has been allocated to the Eastern region, and they will begin their duties in Waterford.
Figures from An Garda Síochána’s website show that there are currently 576 Gardaí and 19 Garda Reserve members in the Waterford / Kilkenny division.
The 194 newly attested Garda members began their training at Templemore in March 2025 after they were enlisted from the 2024 recruitment campaign.
Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly, who was present at the ceremony, said: “Today is a proud day. A day to celebrate with your family and loved ones. A day to take stock of all it has taken to get you to this point. Today marks the start of your new career in An Garda Síochána.”
“These encounters may be brief or fleeting, but these encounters stay with people. For many, it will be the first time they have had cause to meet with a Garda. You may meet them on a dark day in their lives, and you may bring them some light. It may be an interaction that occurs in silence, where you might sit with someone in a time of grief. Your presence matters and means something,” Commissioner Kelly said.
Speaking at the Garda College in Templemore before the ceremony, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said: “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…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.”
Minister Mary Butler was also present at the ceremony, and spoke about the allocation of eight new Gardaí to Waterford. She said: “As a Minister representing Waterford, I want to welcome our new recruits to the Déise and wish them well as they start out in their Garda journey. They should be very proud of their chosen career path. I’m sure they’ll enjoy working with local people they encounter here in Waterford, who’ll embrace them into their communities”.
“I also want to thank my colleague, Minister for Justice, Jim O’Callaghan, who has always been open to engagement on local policing matters. I accompanied the Minister on his official visit to Waterford in September, during which we visited Garda Stations in West Waterford and Waterford City to discuss policing and security matters,” Minister Butler added.
There are 365 further Garda recruits currently undertaking their training at Templemore, with the next intake of 220 recruits set to enter the college from Monday, 17 November. This new intake will mean a total of 800 Garda trainees entered the college in 2025.
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