Moyross woman named best garda recruit

A MOYROSS woman yesterday received the medal for the best all-round student at a garda graduation in Templemore College.

Garda Deirdre O’Doherty was presented with the Gary Sheehan Memorial Medal by Garda Commissioner Fachtna Murphy.

Garda O’Doherty, 27, was joined at the ceremony by her parents, Jack and Carmel and her brother Tiernan, 16.

She said: “I got to know one of the community gardaí in Moyross, Dave Mulcahy, 13 years ago when the Corpus Christi Pipe Band was formed in Moyross.

“He helped Andrew O’Byrne and Fr Terry Loughran set up the band. And Andrew O’Byrne sent in an application form to the Gardaí for me. At the time I was working as a fitness instructor.”

After completing her training she was stationed in Ennis last March and still plays the bagpipes with the Limerick band.

She said: “I love it in Ennis and I would like to do policing and then go on to the detective branch.”

Meanwhile, Garda Michael O’Sullivan from Greenmount, Cork won the Templemore Town Council Medal for outstanding appreciation in the area of social science studies.

The Commissioner’s Medal for the student achieving the highest marks was won by Garda Caroline Taafe, from Ballintogher, Co Sligo and she is stationed in Ballina.