Canadian prime minister's grandfather was one of the first men to join gardaí

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney (right) and his grandfather Robert Kearney (left) was just 19 when he joined the fledgling garda force in 1922.

One of the country’s leading historians and genealogists has discovered the new Canadian prime minister’s grandfather was one of the first men to join the Garda force when it was established in 1922.

Jim Herlihy, a former garda who has written many groundbreaking books on that force and its predecessor the RIC (Royal Irish Constabulary), said his research shows Canadian PM 2 grandfather, Robert, was born in Aille, Aughagower, Co Mayo on June 12, 1902, and that had joined the Garda at the age of 19.