At the age of 44, Sean Burke is one of the oldest Garda recruits in the 102-year history of the force.
Until recently, prospective gardaí had to be aged under 36 when joining. A rule change last year raised the age limit to 50.
The goal was to increase recruitment and reach the Government’s long-promised goal of 15,000 sworn gardaí. This came at a time when more people were leaving the force than joining.
More than 6,300 applied after the rule change, a third of which are over the age of 35.
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Mr Burke, from Galway, used to work in the transport industry and as a taxi driver. He is one of 38 people over the age of 35 who made it on to the course last year. “And we’re all still here,” he said.
There are advantages to having a few decades of life experience under the belt before becoming a garda, he said.
“I spent 25 years out in the working world. I’ve met an awful lot of people, dealt with the general public a lot, and been in some situations.
“I’ve seen what it’s like on Eyre Square on a Saturday night. Though I’ll be seeing it from a different angle now.
[ Surge in applications to join Garda after process opened to older candidatesOpens in new window ]
Is it harder, as an older man, to fit in with the Garda College’s tough discipline regime?
“I won’t say it’s hard, but it is different when someone comes up to you and tells you to cut your hair tighter or: ‘You can’t have that beard unless it’s extremely tidy,’” he said. “But you have to be presentable for the guards. It’s like everything in the college – you adapt to it quite quickly.”
Eunice Moran, from Mayo, was a broadcaster on Midwest radio for 15 years before, in her mid-30s, she decided to join the Garda.
“On the day that I finished on the radio, I was actually suited and booted in the studio because I was in Templemore that evening,” she said.
She is hopeful the communication skills she built up over the years will stand to her in her new role. “If you can meet people on their level, that goes a long way to doing what you need to do,” she said.
To a certain extent, Garda management was initially sceptical about raising the age limit. Commissioner Drew Harris previously said the younger age limit was necessary to ensure gardaí were fit enough for the demands of the job.
The decision to raise the age limit was taken only after a case involving the Workplace Relations Commission ruling the Garda had discriminated against two men, aged 48 and 37, by denying them entry into the force on age grounds.
This brought the force more into line with international standards. The Police Service of Northern Ireland and Met Police accept candidates up to the age of 57.
Those joining the Garda later in life face the same fitness tests as their younger colleagues. Mr Burke said passing them was not a big obstacle.
“You’d actually be very surprised. You improve quite quickly,” he said. “When I came up here last June to do the physical competency ... it was something I really enjoyed.”
Another candidate who had little trouble with the fitness test is Marie Devine (34), from Westmeath, who previously worked as a stuntwoman and actor. Audiences may remember her playing a Garda in the RTÉ crime drama Kin.
“It was a great job. I worked hard, I trained hard. But it was very sporadic,” she said. Joining the Garda “was a massive career move”.
Ms Devine said she hoped to get involved in community policing and working with children.
Given his background, Mr Burke would like to go into transport policing and possibly the Garda driving school.
Does he anticipate having to pull over any of his old colleagues? “Ah no,” he said. “Once they obey the law, they’ll be fine.”
