A 38-year-old man who lost ten-and-a-half stone and has been trying to join An Garda Síochána for the last 18 years, is one of 167 gardaí who graduated from the Garda College at Templemore.
Conor Finan, who is from Blessington in Co Wicklow, worked as an undertaker, a fireman and in public relations before he finally got accepted into An Garda Síochána.
He said he always wanted to join but had failed the fitness test and the medical on previous occasions.
Garda Finan said he started in media and public relations at IT Carlow many years ago, then joined Wicklow Fire Service, before working as an undertaker for the last number of years, experience, he said, that will stand to him as a garda.
He said he lost the weight over the last three years, adding, "it's been an incredible journey".
Asked how he did it, he said he stuck to 1,800 calories a day "and I trained for the Dublin City Marathon last year, and the natural progression of that was the weight drop".
But, he said, the motivation was always becoming a garda - "that was the backbone, the motivation that got me through the whole process".
He is to be stationed at Tallaght Garda Station.
More than 100 of the new gardaí graduating today will be allocated to Dublin, with another 31 sent to the Eastern Region.
Twenty-three of those who graduated were born outside the State - in Australia, Brazil, Croatia, Guatemala, Mauritius, Italy and other European countries - and 67 of the new graduates are women.
The new recruits bring the total number of sworn gardaí to 14,564.
There were two recruitment campaigns last year, which saw more than 11,100 people apply to join the force. It is expected that another campaign will run this year.
Minister for Justice Jim O'Callaghan said the new gardaí are joining a "tradition that stretches back over a century, one built on trust, integrity and a steadfast commitment to the public they serve".
He said the next intake of up to 215 trainees will begin the training at the Garda College next Monday.
