New blood for mullingar station

Mullingar Garda Station has welcomed five new recruits.

The quintet – Garda Laura McDaid from Sligo, Garda Dara Melia (Galway), Garda Deborah Mackin (Dundalk), Garda Lloyd Walsh (Limerick) and Garda Lonán McKenna (Cavan) – are the first new officers to arrive in Mullingar since the five-year recruitment embargo was lifted.

Aged in their mid and late 20s, they come from a variety of educational and professional backgrounds, while Garda Mackin progressed from the Garda Reserve.

Chief Superintendent Lorraine Wheatley said that the station was “delighted” to welcome the five recruits and wished them the best of luck in their new postings.

The group of five, who are under the mentorship of Sgt Dominic Flynn and Garda Ray Daly, will spend the next 34 weeks in Mullingar before returning to Templemore for a five-week stint.

The first 17 weeks in Mullingar will be spent assisting and observing a senior, while the second half they will be taking a more proactive role.

Once the five weeks in Templemore have elapsed, they will return to Mullingar for a further year-long probationary period.

Unlike their predecessors, the new batch of recruits have full garda powers under changes introduced recently.

Speaking to the Westmeath Examiner earlier in the summer, Chief Superintendent Wheatley said that everyone working at the station was looking forward to the new personnel coming in.

“We’ve had no new people for a long time. There is great excitement about new young people coming on board.

“The new blood will be positive,” she said.