I was a garda’s wife and we lived in barely habitable stations

As regards an article in the Irish Examiner about the condition of Macroom garda station, during my late husband’s service in the Garda Siochana, I lived in the married quarters of two garda stations, for a total of ten years.

The last one was freezing, sodden with damp, there was no felt under the roof tiles and, as for the Office of Public Works (OPW), I won’t go there.

Our solution was to build our own house, in 1975, 40 years ago. I am not one bit surprised that there are still garda stations that are unfit for purpose, such is the snail’s pace at which the OPW seem to operate.