Thurles Information

Irish Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration Mr Jim O’Callaghan has launched the 2025 recruitment campaign for the Irish Prison Service.
The target number for new recruits this year is 300, with the competition being conducted through Publicjobs on behalf of the Irish Prison Service.

The Minister is also pleased to launch the Virtual Prison Tour: a new web-based innovative tool that allows visitors, service users, and the wider public to see the inside of an Irish Prison, guided by a digitally created Prison Officer.
This project aims to increase public understanding of how our prisons function and operate on a day-to-day basis.

Speaking at the launch, Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan said: “Prison Officers are a cornerstone of the criminal justice system, and I look forward to welcoming the new recruits of 2025. I am very pleased to launch this year’s recruitment campaign which is a key part of a much wider investment by government in our prison system. Prisons not only provide a secure environment and act as a deterrent, but through the dedication and compassion that prison officers also provide to offenders, prisons are a place for rehabilitation and education. The Government is committed to ensuring that all prison officers are enabled and equipped to do their jobs to a high standard in a workplace where they feel safe and protected.”

Mr O’Callaghan further stated, “I am also pleased to launch the Virtual Prison Tour. This innovative project will greatly enhance the public’s understanding of how our prisons operate. It can also serve as a positive recruitment tool to provide those contemplating a career as a prison officer with the ability to tour their future workplace.”

Ms Caron McCaffrey, Director General of the Irish Prison Service, added: “The Recruit Prison Officer campaign is a vital opportunity to attract individuals who are committed to public service and rehabilitation, and who will play a central role in maintaining safe and secure prison environments. The incredible work of Prison Officers is complex and often hidden from public view, but our annual competition and the launch of the virtual tour allow us the opportunity to let the public see the teamwork, integrity, potential, safety and support that Prison Officers not only offer to prisoners, but to their colleagues as well.
I wish to commend all those involved in delivering the Virtual Tour, an innovative and informative project that highlights the professionalism and dedication of our staff across the prison estate. These initiatives are key steps in strengthening public understanding of our work and attracting committed individuals to a challenging yet rewarding career.”

The 2024 recruitment campaign attracted more than 1500 applicants, resulting in 271 prison officers joining the Irish Prison Service. The 2025 Recruit Prison Officer Competition will remain open until 1 August 2025.

Information on the competition and how to apply, and to access the prison tour can be found on the Irish Prison Service website HERE .

Drug Searches Drop By 44% In Tipp-Clare Garda Division Says Fine Gael TD, Mr Joe Cooney.

Clare Fine Gael TD, Mr Joe Cooney has expressed deep concern at the significant decline in both the sharp reduction in drug-related searches carried out across the Tipperary/Clare Garda Division and the number of Gardaí serving in County Clare.

Deputy Cooney said he would be raising the matter directly with the Minister for Justice, calling for urgent action to boost resources and personnel allocated to the Divisional Drugs Unit and An Garda Síochána more broadly throughout the region.

New figures provided to Deputy Cooney reveal that Garda numbers in County Clare have fallen by over 8% since 2020 — decreasing by 27 from 314 to 287. In Ennis alone, Garda numbers have dropped from 190 to 167, while Kilrush has seen a reduction of eight Gardaí over the same period, with 55 now stationed there.

Meanwhile, the number of searches conducted under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1977/1984 across the Tipperary/Clare Garda Division has plummeted by a collosal 44%; from 2,726 in 2022 to 1,546 so far in 2024. There has also been a drop in overall detections of ‘Possession of Drugs for Sale and Supply’ and ‘Simple Possession’.

• Deputy Cooney pointed out that just 18 Gardaí, same comprising 15 Garda members and 3 Sergeants, are currently assigned to the Tipperary/Clare Divisional Drugs Unit, which is tasked with covering a vast geographic area, stretching from Loop Head and Ballyvaughan in Co. Clare to Carrick-on-Suir in South Co. Tipperary.

“The Tipperary/Clare Divisional Drugs Unit has been doing outstanding work in tackling the scourge of illegal drugs in our communities, but they urgently need more resources to sustain and strengthen that effort,” said Deputy Cooney. “I am calling on the Minister for Justice and Garda management to allocate additional personnel and resources to the Divisional Drugs Unit to support the great work they are doing, as evidenced by recent significant drug seizures. We need to ensure that Gardaí on the front lines of this fight have the tools, support, and numbers required to disrupt drug networks, protect our young people, and safeguard our towns and rural communities.”

Deputy Cooney said that while he welcomed Government initiatives such as Operation Tara and the substantial increase in national policing budgets, more targeted resourcing is urgently needed in the Mid-West region.

“Tackling drug dealing and targeting the work of organised crime groups, who inflict intimidation, violence, and misery on families and communities across Ireland, must be a top priority for this Government,” he added. “I fully support the measures being taken at national level as part of Government plans to tackle illegal drug use, but there is a clear and pressing need for greater resourcing of our Drugs Units in areas like Tipperary and Clare.”

Deputy Cooney confirmed he will be tabling questions to the Minister for Justice, Mr Jim O’Callaghan, and pressing for a clear plan to reverse the decline in local Garda numbers and restore search and enforcement capacity across the region.