WATCH: Laois woman home from Australia fulfills dream as garda in Limerick

A LAOIS woman who has just gone on the beat as a garda in Limerick features in a new garda recruitment campaign.

Newly attested Garda Lorraine Delahunty from Cullohill left her role as a police officer in Australia to return to Ireland and, according to the gardaí, "change the lives of others". 

She said becoming a garda has fulfilled a lifetime's ambition.

"It is something that I always wanted to do. I wanted to join when I was 18 but unfortunately, I couldn't join as there was no recruitment back then so I moved to Australia and joined the police back there.

"I came back to Australia in April for this recruitment campaign," she said.

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She encouraged others to join the force in fighting and preventing crime.

"Go for it. It's a challenging career. No two days are the same. We have learned so much in Templemore to prepare us. You have to be resilient so just push through and go for it," she said.

Garda Delahunty will be stationed in Henry Street garda station in Limerick city. She is looking forward to meeting the team in place she's not familiar with.

"I don't know anything about Limerick so it's going to be a huge challenge for me that I am really looking forward to," she said.

She is among the 151 newest recruits to An Garda Síochána after graduating from the Garda Training College in December.

The next recruitment competition will open for applications via publicjobs.ie on Monday, January 15, 2024.