The Government has appointed current Deputy Commissioner Justin Kelly as the new Garda Commissioner.
He replaces Drew Harris, who was appointed to the position having not previously served in An Garda Síochána.
He will replace Commissioner Harris when he retires on 1 September.
Deputy Commissioner Kelly has served over 30 years at all ranks in An Garda Síochána and was appointed as Deputy Commissioner Security, Strategy and Governance last October.
He was previously assistant commissioner in charge of Serious and Organised Crime responsible for the national units and investigations into drugs and organised crime, cybercrime, economic crime, immigration and crimes against vulnerable persons.
Watch: Kelly 'appropriate and good' choice, says minister
Deputy Commissioner Kelly also served in the Operational Counter-Terrorism Unit, the Special Detective Unit and the National Protective Services Bureau and was a uniformed garda, sergeant and inspector in Clondalkin, Blanchardstown and Tallaght in Dublin.
He has a degree from UCD, an MBA from DCU, a MA in Serious Crime Investigation from the University of Limerick, a MA in Criminal Justice from John Jay College in New York and has completed the strategic command course at the UK College of Policing.
He was seconded to work for the United Nations in Bosnia Herzegovina in 2021, where he worked monitoring and building the capacity of local law enforcement.
Who is the next Garda Commissioner and what challenges does he face?
Commissioner Harris said his "extensive experience and expertise in leading a wide-range of operational and organisational areas will be of immeasurable benefit to him as Commissioner.
"Justin has over 30 years of dedicated and highly professional service in An Garda Síochána.
"During this time, he has held many significant portfolios preventing and tackling crime and terrorism.
"This has included senior roles in the areas of national security, cyber-crime, organised crime, and domestic and sexual violence," Commissioner Harris added.
"I look forward to working with Justin in the weeks leading up to him becoming Garda Commissioner in September 2025.
"Personally, I want to wish him and his family all the best in him leading this great organisation and continuing its mission of keeping people safe," Commissioner Harris added.
In a statement, the Garda Representative Association congratulated Mr Kelly on his appointment.
"Commissioner Kelly has had a long and distinguished career in An Garda Síochána and is well aware of the concerns and unique challenges that each member of rank faces on a daily basis," General Secretary Ronan Slevin said.
Mr Slevin has urged Mr Kelly to prioritise addressing the recruitment and retention issues within An Garda Siochána, describing the issue as a "major challenge".
Speaking on RTÉ's Drivetime, he said he would press Mr Kelly to make the case to the Government that the existing "terms and conditions" of employment needed to be improved to make joining the force a more attractive proposition.
"We are losing close to 400 to 500 members every year. I think that certain small changes to the current policy and direction in which An Garda Síochána is going could address at least 100 to 200 of those," Mr Slevin said.
"If we manage to keep 100 to 200 extra guards in the force a year it would be going a long way to try and increase the numbers we have."
Mr Slevin said he has written to Mr Kelly to formally request a meeting to discuss the association's concerns.
We need your consent to load this rte-player contentWe use rte-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences
