Three gardaí promoted to rank of chief superintendent

THREE gardaí from Cork, Kerry and Limerick have been appointed to the rank of chief superintendent.

However, none of the three has yet been informed of their new postings, although one of them, Detective Superintendent Tom Hayes, may not have to move too far.

He has led the detective branch in Cork for a number of years and is stationed in Anglesea Street Garda Station.

Det Supt Hayes, who is a native of Bunmahon, Co Waterford, has been involved in a number of high-profile cases, including the Morris investigation in Donegal.

There is a vacancy for a chief superintendent in the Cork West division which he could well fill.

At present Chief Superintendent Michael Finn is looking after Cork West and the Cork City divisions.

Det Supt Hayes, 52, has worked in west Cork before and was stationed in Bandon in the mid-1990s.

As Detective Superintendent he has been involved in a number of investigations in that region, including the two biggest drug captures in the history of the state.

However, it is possible that Tralee-based Superintendent Pat Sullivan could also fill the vacancy in west Cork.

He is a native of Glengarriff and joined the Gardaí in 1975.

Supt Sullivan spent some years working on security along the Border, but most of his time in the force has been spent in Kerry.

The 50-year-old said he was very pleased with the promotion.

“Wherever I go I’ll be looking forward to the challenge,” Supt Sullivan said.

Superintendent Anne Marie McMahon, who is stationed at Roxboro Road, Limerick, has also been promoted.

She has been a very prominent figure in the fight against crime in that city.

Supt McMahon, a married mother-of-two who joined the force in 1986, was first posted to Coolock, Dublin.

She served with the UN in Cambodia in 1993, had a spell at the Garda College and was stationed at Newcastlewest, Henry Street and Bruff in Limerick.

She has been involved in investigating the 2008 murder of rugby player Shane Geoghegan and Roy Collins, who was killed just over a year ago.

“The job (of a garda) always appealed to me and I’ve enjoyed it. I’m working in a very challenging policing environment, but we have an excellent team here,” the native of Kilmurry in Co Clare said.