Garda candidates get notified of promotion success

Some 45 successful candidates for promotion to senior ranks in the Garda Síochána have been officially notified.

The appointments, revealed in yesterday’s Irish Examiner, mark the biggest round of promotions for many years.

It sees 38 inspectors promoted to superintendent and seven superintendents upped to chief superintendent.

Those named as chief superintendents are Supt Barry McPolin, attached to Anglesea St, Cork City; Detective Supt Dominic Hayes, attached to Kilkenny Garda Station; Det Supt Pat Lordan, attached to Mullingar Garda Station; Supt Lorraine Wheatley, based at Donnybrook Garda Station, Dublin South Central; Supt Sean Ward, based at Store Street, Dublin North Central; Supt Karl Heller, attached to Community Relations at Harcourt Square, Dublin and Supt Pat Diskin, based in Castlebar, Co Mayo.

All positions from rank of superintendent up are made by the Government following recommendation by the Garda commissioner based on an interview process.

Five inspectors in the Southern Region promoted to superintendent include Cork City-based Insp Michael Maguire and Det Insp Gerard O’Mahony, Bandon-based Insp Brendan Fogarty, Tralee Insp Feargal Pattwell, and Limerick Insp Brendan McDonagh.

Others promoted to superintendent include: Det Insp Declan Daly, Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Unit; Det Insp Tony Howard, Coolock; Det Insp Robert Smith, Garda National Drugs Unit; Det Insp Martin Harrington, Laois; Det Insp Fergus Traynor, Monaghan; Insp Pat Murphy, Templemore; Insp Gerry Murphy, office of the assistant commissioner, Dublin; Insp John Ferris, Garda Press Office; Insp Ann Marie Cagney, Clondalkin, and Insp Marie Broderick, Commissioner’s Office.

Speaking yesterday, Supt McPolin, 54, said it had been a “great experience” working in Cork.

Joining the force in 1983 and directing policing in the city, Blackrock and Mahon since 2008, he said: “We are of the community, we serve the community, and I am determined to continue in that vein wherever I’m posted, to continue policing in an open and transparent manner.”

Supt McPolin is originally from Macroom, where his father, Seamus, served as a garda for 34 years.

He worked in Internal Affair’s in Dublin’s Harcourt Street before returning to Cork City where he was appointed superintendent in 2004.

He was based in Mallow and Togher before moving to the Anglesea St divisional headquarters in 2008.