The first female recruits to join The Garda Síochána are preparing to take up duty.
Twelve female recruits are undergoing training with An Garda Síochána to become the first women to join the force. The women are from around the country, with recruits from Donegal, Kildare, Cavan, Galway, Longford, Leitrim, Roscommon, Sligo, Limerick and Dublin represented in the class.
Superintendent Walter Dunne, Assistant Training Officer, emphasises the need for female Gardaí.
This is the most important event that has occurred in the force since its establishment
One of the new trainees, Mary Margaret Theresa Browne from Castlerea, County Roscommon, talks about applying for the job and her training with An Garda Síochána. She had a long desire to work in policing and applied immediately after hearing about the roles advertised on Radio Éireann and in newspapers.
Recognising that the new recruits will likely be the object of some attention once they begin active duty, Mary Browne says,
We shan't feel embarrassed
Sergeant Doreen Prissick, of the Liverpool Police was seconded at the request of the Garda Síochana to train the first group of women in Ireland. Sergeant Prissick is a native of Hull who joined the Liverpool Police in 1948 and became a Sergeant in 1955.
She offers her advice to the people of Dublin in their dealings with the new women Garda and hopes that people understand that the new recruits are there to help people and are not just on the streets to arrest.
The new Gardaí will take up duty after their passing out ceremony in December 1959. All the recruits will then be assigned to College Street Station, Dublin, for practical training with the Dublin metropolitan division.
This episode of 'City Newsreel' was broadcast on 13 July 1959. The reporter is John Ross.
'City Newsreel' was a light hearted weekly news feature which began in 1954 and ran until 1968, featuring a compilation of reports from around Dublin city and beyond. The hosts were John Ross, Karl Jones, and P.P. O'Reilly with other presenters delivering reports including Gay Byrne and Kevin O’Kelly.
This recording is from the RTÉ Archives Acetate Disc Collection which has been digitised with the support of the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI) Archiving Scheme.
