The town they left behind

It’s over a year since the last garda recruits left Templemore. The town is struggling to cope without them, locals tell David Young

TEMPLEMORE is fighting for survival, with both hands tied behind its back, it seems. Not only has it got a recession to tackle, there’s also the matter of a moratorium on public service recruitment. The Garda College — the town’s lifeblood — hasn’t welcomed a trainee since 2009. The last recruits left over a year ago, and there’s no sign of them returning anytime soon.

“Before the embargo, the place was rocking,” says Martin Fogarty, deputy mayor of Templemore and Garda College storekeeper. “There was a buzz. Sure, it was like an IT. Every night, you’d have hundreds at Polly’s pub, just across the road. And every three months you had passing out parades, with thousands of people coming to town.”