The Garda Podcast

Ireland holds the Presidency of the Council of the European Union this year - 2026. During this period, many significant meetings are taking place nationwide, attended by VIPs. In order to get these VIPs safely and efficiently to their destination, the Garda National Escort Unit provides motorcycle escorts. Our National Escort Unit consists of highly skilled Garda motorcyclists who provide these escorts for various reasons, including for the transport of VIPs and critically ill patents. In this episode, you'll go inside this specialist unit and hear about their training, more about who they escort and why.

The Garda Photographic Section, attached to the Garda National Technical Bureau, recently marked 100 years in operation. Garda photographers in the section go to crime scenes which include suspicious deaths and meticulously photograph evidence to assist investigation teams. In this episode, photographer Detective Garda Ian Redican gives a fascinating insight into the section, takes us inside a scene call out, talks us through his kit bag, provides a history of Garda photography and much more.

Drug Related Intimidation occurs when a criminal orcriminals allege that a sum of money is owed as a result of a drug debt. Individuals or other family members may be subjected to intimidation or the threat of intimidation. Intimidation can take many forms, including: threats of physical violence, physical violence, verbal threats, sexual violence, threats of a sexual nature, damage to property and various other forms of violence.  In this episode, Detective Superintendent Sé McCormack who is attached to the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau (GNDOCB) talks about cases that An Garda Síochána deals with and the supports available to victims.

An Garda Síochána will be recruiting for Garda Trainees again soon. In this podcast, Patrice was joined by Sergeant Andrew Geary who was attached to Foundation Training in the Garda College at the time of recording. In this episode, you'll find out what life is like for Garda Trainees during their Foundation Training Programme and what it takes to become a member of An Garda Síochána.

Detective Sergeant Laura Sweeney is attached to An Garda Síochána’s National Domestic Abuse Unit. In this episode, Laura talks about the signs of domestic abuse and the supports available. If you need help or are in immediate danger or require Gardaí, dial 999 or 112. If you think you are a victim of domestic abuse or know someone who may be, you can visitthis link for more information. This episode features discussions about suicide and self-harm. If you have been affected by anything you heard, you can contact the Samaritans on 116 123 or Pieta on 1800 247 247.

Recently, our Emergency Response Unit (ERU) and other national units took part in Europol's 'Allies 2026', a training exercise designed to enhance cross-border cooperation and interoperability among European law enforcement authorities. The exercise simulated scenarios unfolding across 12 European countries in parallel, testing participants’ ability to effectively fight drug trafficking and hybrid threats. We played a major role in the ‘Operation Shamrock’ scenario, which involved working with European partners to track and monitor and apprehend the movements of individuals acting as International drugs smugglers.

Superintendent Michael Corbett has been appointed as An Garda Síochána's Rural Crime Lead. In this podcast, Superintendent Corbett offers crime prevention advice to those living in rural Ireland and also talks in detail about topics such as: trespassing, illegal hunting and more.

Community Policing is at the heart of An Garda Síochána. All around the country, community policing units work in partnership with local residents, business owners and agencies, to prevent crime and enhance public safety. Community policing units are embedded in local communities. They are often the face of An Garda Síochána and are known on a first name basis in the localities that they work. They support local initiatives and attend local meetings, all while continuing regular Garda duties to keep people safe. The Garda Podcast spent the day with two community policing Gardaí based in the Bridewell Garda Station in Cork City.

Come with us on patrol with Cavan Roads Policing for this episode of the Garda Podcast. Sergeant James Gallagher and Garda Amanda Gilmartin take us on a ride along as they help to keep our roads safe.

The SDU (Special Detective Unit) is our Counter Terrorism Unit with responsibility for State security. This highly trained unit mitigate and investigate any threats to the State. The SDU also has responsibility for the protection of diplomatic missions to Ireland. In this episode of the Garda Podcast, Detective Chief Superintendent Brian Woods gives a behind the scenes insight in to this fascinating unit. Detective Chief Superintendent Woods started his career with An Garda Síochána in Ballyfermot, Dublin where he rose to the rank of Detective and worked on the Veronica Guerin case. He then spent time with the United Nations in Cyprus, the Garda Economic Crime Bureau, the Criminal Assets Bureau, Security Intelligence, projects around proactive policing, the Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau and now SDU.

Topics discussed: History of the SDU, radicalisation, Hostile State Actors, State Security, Counter Terrorism and more.

One of the most popular Garda Podcasts of 2025 tells the story about the interdiction of the MV Matthew. This special video episode is produced by An Garda Síochána's Office of Corporate Communications.

On September 23 2023, a Panama flagged cargo ship called the MV Mathew entered Irish territorial waters, having set off from Curacao, an island off the coast of Venezuela.

Unbeknownst to its crew, suspicions about the ship’s activities had been communicated by international intelligence agencies to An Garda Síochána’s Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau.

The ship was being monitored, with the belief that its cargo may contain illegal drugs.

On September 22nd, the day before the MV Matthew entered Irish waters, two men, bought a fishing trawler called the FV Castlemore in West Cork.

The activities of the crews on board both vessels would result in a dramatic joint task force operation carried out at sea in gale force winds and would lead to the largest drug seizure in the history of the State.

The seizure of devices and the interception of messages between both sea fairing crews and their criminal gang members on land, led to the conviction and sentencing of eight men – six from the MV Matthew and two from the Castlemore trawler.

The radio and phone conversations you hear in this podcast are real.

The annual Garda National Youth Awards celebrate outstanding young people aged between 13 and 21 years, and recognises the good work they are doing throughout their communities. The awards, held in Portlaoise, gives An Garda Síochána a valuable chance to truly recognise the remarkable influence young people have on their communities. In this episode, you’ll hear from some of the 2025 winners. This podcast contains some discussion about suicide and self harm. If you are affected by anything you hear in the episode, you can call Samaritans on 116123, Pieta House on 1800247247 or in the case of an emergency, please call 999 or 112.

The Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB) enforces immigration legislation in Ireland. In this episode,  Detective Chief Superintendent of GNIB Aidan Minnock brings us behind the scenes of this busy and specialist bureau. This interview took place in mid-November 2025. Some statistics mentioned in the episodes will have changed at the time of listening.

Garda Forensic Collision Investigators (FCIs) are deployed in the immediate aftermath of fatal or life altering road traffic collisions.  They are trained to forensically reconstruct a road traffic collision. In this episode, FCI Sergeant Paddy McElroy discusses this important role in detail.

Come with us on a high visibility beat patrol in Dublin city centre.

In episode 21, we spoke with four Garda Trainees who had just entered the Garda College in Templemore. Six months later, they join us for this episode of the Garda Podcast straight after their attestation (graduation) where they became sworn members of An Garda Síochána. If you are interested in following in the footsteps of the Gardaí you hear in this podcast, you can apply to be a Garda in the latest Garda recruitment competition which is open on publicjobs.ie

Garda Commissioner Drew Harris took up the role of Commissioner of An Garda Síochána in 2018. After seven years of leading the organisation, he will now retire from the position, and from his almost 42 year policing career. In this episode, Commissioner Harris reflects on his seven years with An Garda Síochána.

Some topics discussed in this episode include:

-Proudest achievements as Commissioner

-Challenges from the past seven years

-Changes in policing over the years

-The future of policing

-Leadership

-Policing cybercrime

-Domestic, sexual and gender based violence

-Targeting organised crime groups

-Targeting transnational crime

- Remembering those who died in service

-What makes An Garda Síochána unique

-Why join a career in policing

This highlight is taken from Episode 6: The Garda National Cyber Crime Bureau. Detective Chief Superintendent Barry Walsh gives some useful advice on how to avoid becoming a victim of cybercrime.

In this episode, Detective Superintendent Joe O’Reilly of the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau takes us behind the MV Matthew operation. The previous Garda Podcast episode - EP 26, outlines the timeline of the MV Matthew interdiction and subsequent conviction of eight men.

Background:

On September 23 2023, a Panama flagged cargo ship called the MV Mathew entered Irish territorial waters, having set off from Curacao, an island off the coast of Venezuela.

Unbeknownst to its crew, suspicions about the ship’s activities had been communicated by international intelligence agencies to An Garda Síochána’s Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau.

The ship was being monitored, with the belief that its cargo may contain illegal drugs.

On September 22nd, the day before the MV Matthew entered Irish waters, two men, bought a fishing trawler called the FV Castlemore in West Cork.

The activities of the crews on board both vessels would result in a dramatic joint task force operation carried out at sea in gale force winds and would lead to the largest drug seizure in the history of the State.

The seizure of devices and the interception of messages between both sea fairing crews and their criminal gang members on land, led to the conviction and sentencing of eight men – six from the MV Matthew and two from the Castlemore trawler.

On September 23 2023, a Panama flagged cargo ship called the MV Mathew entered Irish territorial waters, having set off from Curacao, an island off the coast of Venezuela.

Unbeknownst to its crew, suspicions about the ship’s activities had been communicated by international intelligence agencies to An Garda Síochána’s Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau.

The ship was being monitored, with the belief that its cargo may contain illegal drugs.

On September 22nd, the day before the MV Matthew entered Irish waters, two men, bought a fishing trawler called the FV Castlemore in West Cork.

The activities of the crews on board both vessels would result in a dramatic joint task force operation carried out at sea in gale force winds and would lead to the largest drug seizure in the history of the State.

The seizure of devices and the interception of messages between both sea fairing crews and their criminal gang members on land, led to the conviction and sentencing of eight men – six from the MV Matthew and two from the Castlemore trawler.

The radio and phone conversations you hear in this podcast are real.

The Garda Armed Support Unit, also known as the ASU, is a specialist firearms and tactics unit in An Garda Síochána. In this episode, ASU member, Garda Emma Henebery takes us inside this highly skilled unit.

This episode contains some discussions about suicide and self-harm. If you are affected by anything you hear in this podcast, you can call Samaritans on 116 123 or Pieta on 1800 247 274. In an emergency, call 112 or 999.

In this episode, we go on the beat with two Gardaí based in Pearse Street Garda station. Find out what city policing is like during a high visibility foot patrol.

Our Serious Crime Review Team, often referred to as the Cold Case Unit is tasked with reviewing historical cases, many of them high profile, such as the case of Jo Jo Dullard, Sophie Toscan du Plantier and a recent review in to the Stardust tragedy. In this episode, Detective Superintendent Des McTiernan takes us behind the scenes of this highly specialised and experienced team who are determined to get justice for victims and their families.

For this highlight, we go back to episode five, where Garda Lorcan Byrne takes us through a dive with the Garda Water Unit. More Garda Podcast episodes are on the way very soon. You can follow the channel to get updates when those episodes drop.

Our Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau (GNDOCB) was established ten years ago this month, in March 2015. Last year, Detective Chief Superintendent Séamus Boland spoke to the Garda Podcast about the history of the bureau and its determination to disrupt, dismantle and prosecute those taking part in organised crime in Ireland.

Over the last ten years, the GNDOCB has seized:

• €627 million in illicit drugs

• 171 firearms and 6,586 rounds of ammunition

• cash €33,284,931, £385,591 GBP, $59,721 USD and

• €20,103,030 forfeited to the state

• 1,722 arrests for drug trafficking, money laundering, possession of firearms and other offences.

The GNDOCB has interdicted in numerous ‘threat to life’ operations where individuals were being targeted by criminal gangs.

The GNDOCB leads on Operation Tara, to disrupt, dismantle and prosecute drug trafficking networks, at all levels - international, national, local - involved in the importation, distribution, cultivation, production, local sale and supply of controlled drugs. Under Operation Tara, individuals and groups involved in the drug trade are the target of enforcement activity based on intelligence and the latest crime trends.

The GNDOCB co-ordinates and supports Divisional Drugs Units with a strong focus on tackling street-level dealing in cities, towns and villages across the country.

The GNDOCB also supports An Garda Síochána’s well-established Drug Related Intimidation Reporting Programme and supports the Government-led health approach to drug addiction.

Under Operation Thor, the GNDOCB co-ordinates and supports Divisional resources actively targeting organised crime gangs and repeat offenders, particularly involved in rural burglaries and crimes, through enforcement activity based on intelligence and the latest burglary trends.

The GNDOCB actively works with other state agencies including Revenue Customs, and the Irish Naval Service through the Joint Task Force on Drug Interdiction, Criminal Assets Bureau, across the island of Ireland through the Cross-Border Joint Agency Task Force and internationally with INTERPOL, Europol, MAOC (N), and wider through the network of Garda Liaison Officers and contacts in the Americas, Europe and Middle East.

Superintendent Stephen McCauley and Garda Seamus Fitzgerald are not only Gardaí attached to our Roads Policing Bureau, but motorcyclists when they're off duty too. In this special episode, recorded in Dublin Castle, Stephen and Seamus discuss their passion for motorcycling and give some safety tips.

What does an All Ireland winning Meath footballer, former stunt performer, firefighter and radio presenter have in common? They are all trainees in the Garda College and feature in this episode of The Garda Podcast. If you are interested in following in the footsteps of the people you heart in this podcast, you can apply to be a Garda in the latest Garda recruitment competition which is open until 3pm on Thursday 27 February, 2025. Apply on publicjobs.ie Follow The Garda Podcast for any further updates on upcoming Garda competitions.

Our Garda Dog Unit is an integral part of our operational support service, consisting of highly skilled Gardaí and Garda dogs. In this episode, Sergeant Brian Dineen takes us behind the scenes of this specialist unit.

An Garda Síochána is committed to road safety. From enforcement to education, our Garda National Roads Policing Bureau is constantly innovating and collaborating to ensure we have the right tools and strategies to keep you safe on our roads. In this episode, our Assistant Commissioner for Roads Policing, Paula Hilman sits down with Patrice Harrington to discuss the part we are playing to keep our roads safe.

Community Policing is at the heart of An Garda Síochána. In this episode, Chief Superintendent Padraic Jones of the Garda National Community Engagement Bureau sits down with Patrice Harrington to discuss this effective style of policing. This episode was recorded in late 2024.

From patrol cars to unmarked vehicles, from motorbikes to public order vans, the Garda fleet is unique. What does it take to procure such unique and innovative vehicles and how are they kept on the road to keep people safe? In this episode, our Head of Fleet Management gives a fascinating insight into the Garda fleet.

In this Missing Persons Day special, you'll hear from Detective Chief Superintendent Colm Noonan who has responsibility for the Garda Missing Persons Unit, Jerry Bradley, brother of Alan Bradley who went missing in Maynooth, Kildare in 1999 and you'll hear from Dr Hilary Clarke, a scientist from Forensic Science Ireland (FSI). Missing Persons Day, hosted by the Department of Justice, is an annual commemorative day for families and friends to remember their missing loved ones. It's also a day for An Garda Síochána to highlight how we will do all we can to bring those who are missing home and to encourage anyone with information about any missing person to please contact us. You can do so by contacting any Garda Station or by calling the Garda Confidential Line 1800 666 111.

Our Garda College is the national centre for police training, development and learning and is based in the town of Templemore, Co. Tipperary. In this episode, you'll find out what life is like for Garda Trainees during their Foundation Training Programme and what it takes to become a member of An Garda Síochána.

Our National Escort Unit consists of highly skilled Garda motorcyclists who provide escorts for various reasons, including for the transport of VIPs and critically ill patents. In this episode, you'll go inside this specialist unit and hear about their training, more about who they escort and why.

This episode features an interview with Superintendent Niall Featherstone, Chief Bureau Officer with the Garda National Vetting Bureau.

Last year, our Garda Vetting Bureau processed over 588,000 vetting applications from 28,000 relevant organisations.

Find out why vetting takes place, what information is looked for during the vetting process, what is disclosed to an organisation, tips on how to carry out your vetting application and lots more.

Ireland and England went head to head in a UEFA Nations League soccer game at the Aviva Stadium, Dublin on September 7th 2024. Due to the high risk nature of this fixture, the Garda Commissioner declared it an extraordinary event, meaning that leave could be cancelled for Gardaí to ensure enough resources were in place. In this episode, we follow those charged with policing this event in the days leading up to kick off and during and after the match. You'll get an insight in to the detailed pre planning that takes place, the many different specialist units involved, the wide reaching policing plan and we bring you inside the control rooms in Dublin city and the Aviva Stadium.

Find out how we played a key role in dismantling a major global communication platform known as Ghost.

This platform is used by dangerous criminals and Organised Crime Groups (OCGs) in Ireland and around the world.

We carried out 33 coordinated searches across the country on Monday 16 September and gathered significant evidence.

Séamus Boland, Detective Chief Superintendent with the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau and Justin Kelly, An Garda Síochána’s Assistant Commissioner, Organised and Serious Crime feature in this episode and explain more about this significant operation.

The Garda Síochána Analysis Service (GSAS) is a national, operational support service that turns internal and externally sourced data into information and insight that supports investigations and management decisions within An Garda Síochána. In this episode, GSAS Director Sara Parsons details the highly specialist work undertaken by analysts in the service, including involvement in some of Ireland's most high profile cases.

We have a skilled public order capacity in An Garda Síochána. Our National Public Order Units are constantly trained and assessed to the highest standards in tactics, equipment and fitness. In this episode, Garda Karl Burton, a Public Order Training Coordinator explains the function of the Garda National Public Order Unit.

Assistant Commissioner Angela Willis has responsibility for the policing of the DMR - the Dublin Metropolitan Region. In this episode, recorded in August 2024, she sits down with Patrice Harrington to discuss the many challenges and high points that come with policing a capital city.

Our National Mounted Unit provides very specialised policing on horseback support within An Garda Síochána. Gardaí and their beautiful horses undertake community relations activities, high-visibility patrols, crowd control at major events, searches for missing persons over difficult terrain, assisting at incidents of public disorder and more. In this episode, Garda Nives Caplice takes us behind the scenes at their base in Áras an Uachtaráin, Phoenix Park, Dublin.

The Garda National Cyber Crime Bureau (GNCCB) is tasked with the forensic examination of electronic devices seized during the course of any criminal investigation. The bureau also has responsibility for investigating significant and complex cybercrimes that target computer systems and provides cyber-prevention advice to the public. In this episode, GNCCB Detective Chief Superintendent Barry Walsh brings us behind the scenes of this fascinating bureau.

The Garda Water Unit provides operational support and search capability in marine environments and hazardous locations. In this episode, we take you behind the scenes of this highly specialised unit.

The aim of the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB) is to deny and deprive people of the proceeds of criminal conduct. Chief CAB Bureau Officer, Garda Chief Superintendent Michael Gubbins takes us inside this multi agency body.

Find out about some of the most common and valuable items seized, how CAB's process works and how you can help.

Based at Casement Aerodrome, Baldonnel, Dublin, the Garda Air Support Unit was established in 1997 and has since become a vital operational support in An Garda Síochána. In this episode, Sergeant Mark Campbell takes us behind the scenes of this highly specialised unit.

Sinéad Greene is a Detective Superintendent with the Garda National Protective Services Bureau (GNPSB). Detective Superintendent Greene gives a fascinating and powerful insight in to the important work carried out by her Bureau, including the tackling of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence.

In an emergency, please call 999 / 112

Detective Chief Superintendent Séamus Boland heads up the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau.

In this exclusive interview, he talks to Patrice Harrington about the important work carried out by his team to disrupt, dismantle and prosecute organised crime groups.

He talks about his own career path in An Garda Síochána, how the illegal drugs and organised crime landscape has dramatically changed in recent times, the importance of international collaboration and much more.

The Garda Podcast is an official An Garda Síochána podcast.