Law - Thurles Information

New Irish Citizens, Numbering 1,200, Attending At National Concert Hall Dublin.

Some 1,200 new Irish citizens will be granted Irish citizenship in two ceremonies taking place at the National Concert Hall in Dublin today.
The Ceremonies will see applicants from 105 countries around the world and living in 31 counties on the island of Ireland being conferred as Irish citizens.
Minister Paschal Donohoe and Minister of State James Browne will attend the ceremonies and are looking forward to meeting as many of the new citizens as possible.

Speaking ahead of the ceremonies, Justice Minister Mrs Minister Helen McEntee said, “Citizenship ceremonies are always a joyous celebration of what it means to be Irish. I would like to warmly congratulate and welcome our newest citizens on this milestone in their lives.
It is particularly apt that they will begin their journey as Irish citizens at the National Concert Hall as it is a building that is steeped in Irish history. It is the original site of University College Dublin and even hosted the Dáil debates on the Anglo-Irish Treaty in early 1922.
I want to wish nothing but the best to all those who become a citizen of this nation, and join the many others who have come here and are making such a significant contribution to our culture, economy and society”.

The Presiding Officer at both ceremonies is retired Judge Paddy McMahon, who will administer the Declaration of Fidelity to the Irish Nation and Loyalty to the State.
The new Irish citizens will undertake to faithfully observe the laws of the State and to respect its democratic values.
New Irish citizens are contributing to a diverse and inclusive workforce, bringing a range of skills and talents that enhance the overall capabilities of the labour market and economy.

Over 10% of those receiving their citizenship are working within the healthcare sector, across Ireland.

Speaking ahead of the first Ceremony today, Minister Mr Pascal Donohoe said, “Ireland has always had a strong culture of welcoming new people and I am delighted to be able to attend this morning’s ceremony, so that I personally can welcome our newest citizens.
Today marks the end of one journey and the beginning of an exciting new one for them. By sharing their own unique cultures and traditions with us, our newest citizens become part of our communities and we are all the better for it.
I also want to acknowledge the value and necessity of immigration to support Ireland’s strong economy and how it benefits our overall society”.

Minister of State Mr James Browne ahead of attending this afternoon said: “It is my pleasure to attend the Citizenship ceremony today.
As a nation that over centuries saw so many Irish people emigrate to find safety or work, the Irish people understand what it means to be a migrant, to seek a safe haven, to lay roots and to find a new home.
I give my best wishes to our new citizens and to their families as they embark on the next steps of their lives in Ireland and I look forward to meeting as many of them as possible today”.

Government Approval Received For New Garda Reserve Recruitment Campaign.

Recruitment campaign expected to be launched soon.
Revised Regulations provide for more efficient training and more effective deployment of Garda Reserves.
Target of at least 1,000 Garda Reserve members by 2026.

The Minister for Justice, Mrs Helen McEntee TD, has today received Cabinet approval for updated regulations on recruitment, training and deployment of the Garda Reserve.
She has committed to launching a recruitment campaign as soon as possible and has set a target of 1,000 Garda Reserves by 2026, to further support Garda members nationwide.

The Garda Reserve is a voluntary body drawn from the community to assist An Garda Síochána with local patrols and crime reduction initiatives, policing major incidents and events, and providing operational support to regular Garda members on the basis of the reserve member’s skills or local knowledge.

Welcoming the approval by Cabinet, Mrs McEntee said: “Joining the Garda Reserve is an excellent way to give back to your community, to help make it safer, and to get experience of and an insight into working with An Garda Síochána if that is your longer term career ambition.
The new Regulations provide for a more modern approach, particularly in relation to training. The Garda Commissioner will be in a position to recruit new members of the Garda Reserve and a recruitment campaign is planned for the very near future. It will target a broad and inclusive range of candidates, in keeping with the Reserve’s role as a visible form of community engagement.
It is a priority for me to ensure An Garda Síochána has all of the support it needs to provide the world-class police service we have all come to expect. Building up the Garda Reserve to at least 1,000 members by 2026 to ensure it can meet its full potential is part of that mission”.

Notable changes in the new Regulations include:

Additional flexibility for training components that ensure new Reserves are trained efficiently and to a high standard enabling Reserve members to have the skills to take up active duty more readily.
Changes to enable more effective deployment of Garda Reserve members.
Updates to Reserve members’ hours on duty – Currently, the maximum hours a Garda Reserve member can be requested to work is 208 hours in any 12-month period. Under the new Regulations, Reserves can make themselves available for more hours, should they choose to do so.
Updated and modernised educational requirements to reflect changes that were introduced to the Leaving Certificate grading system in recent years.

The work of a Garda Reserve is varied and interesting, for example:

Working along-side the Garda Road Traffic Unit.
Ensuring public safety during State visits by foreign dignitaries.
Assisting in public order incidents and in some cases assisting in prosecutions.
Assisting with crowd control at events such as concerts, sporting events etc.
Assisting with the regular day-to-day work of An Garda Síochána.

Thurles, Co. Tipperary Male Convicted Of Rape.

A Co. Tipperary man, named as Mr John Doyle, aged 49 years, was convicted of two counts of rape and four counts of sexual assault; following a Central Criminal Court trial, latter held in Co. Wexford, last November, 2023.

The offences are understood to have taken place in the family home, situated at Littleton, Thurles, Co. Tipperary, between the years 2006 and 2017.
The court heard today that Mr Doyle’s three victims; his two daughters and his niece, have all waived their right to anonymity, in order that he be publicly named.

Mr Doyle has denied any wrongdoing and maintains his innocence.

On imposing his sentence, Ms Justice Siobhan Lankford presiding described Mr Doyle’s offences as “a significant breach of trust of the gravest kind”.

Ms Justice Lankford imposed concurrent sentences of 12 years on the rape counts, with the final one-year suspended on strict conditions. She backdated the sentences to November 17th last, while he was held in custody, and directed him to remain away from his three victims for five years, after his release from prison.

Ms Justice Lankford also placed Mr Doyle under the supervision of the Probation Services, for this same five year period, to aid his rehabilitation.

Both of Mr Doyle’s daughters claimed that he threatened to kill himself, if they, the victims told anyone what had happened. There was also a suggestion that they would be offered money, to ensure that they remained silent on the matter.

Mr Doyle also stood accused of separately sexually assaulted his then 14-year-old niece, while she was babysitting for an aunt, latter who lived next door to Mr Doyle’s private residence.

The Court heard that Mr Doyle, a father of seven, has previously four convictions for road traffic offences.

Two Men Arrested Following Serious Assault In Tipperary Town.

Gardaí are seeking your help after a man, understood to be aged in his forties, was hospitalised, following a serious assault on the roadway outside Greenane Drive, in Tipperary town, Co. Tipperary.

The assault is understood to have taken place in the early hours of this morning (at around 2:00am), leaving the victim, in a serious but stable condition in University Hospital Limerick.

Following enquiries by investigating Gardaí, two men have since been arrested and remain currently in Garda custody at Garda stations in County Tipperary; detained under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1984.

Gardaí are appealing to anyone who was in the vicinity of Greenane Drive, Tipperary town between the hours of 1:30am and 3:00am, and who may have information in relation to the incident, to contact them.

Any person with such information, including road users or pedestrians, and who may have dash or other camera footage, to immediately contact investigating Gardaí at Tipperary Garda Station, Tel. No. 062 80670, the Garda Confidential Line Tel.No. 1800 666 111, or indeed any Garda Station.

Over 6,300 Persons Apply In Recent Garda Recruitment Competition.

Minister for Justice Mrs Heleen McEntee has welcomed the news that over 6,300 people have applied to join An Garda Síochána force, under the most recent recruitment campaign.

According to statistics released today, by An Garda Síochána, they received 6381 applications in their recruitment competition, which closed last Friday (February 8th, 2024).

Welcoming the news this morning, Minister McEntee stated, “The response to the latest Garda recruitment campaign has been very strong. I am delighted to see over 6,300 apply to become Gardaí – this is a significant increase on the 5,000 people who applied last year.
I am glad to see that so many people want to join An Garda Siochana and I am particularly pleased at the strong response from people aged between 35 and 50. Well over a third of the applications were in that age group.
I have always said that nothing is off the table when it comes to recruitment. We have increased the training allowance and increased the age of entry from 35 to 50. I am determined that An Garda Síochána grows to 15,000 members and beyond.
So to all those who have applied, good luck with the interviews and assessments, and all the very best on your path to a job well worth doing”.

This competition comes only ten months since the last Garda recruitment campaign, which attracted approximately 5,000 applications.

Minister McEntee is committed to ensuring that An Garda Síochána has the resources it needs to fight crime. An Garda Síochána have been allocated a budget of €2.35 billion to An Garda Síochána, a 25% increase since 2020. This funding will continue to allow for the continued recruitment of Garda members and staff this year, as well as ensuring Gardaí have the equipment, technology, facilities and fleet they need to carry out their vital work.