The Garda Band is the public relations branch of the

Garda Síochána (; meaning "the Guardian(s) of the Peace") is the national police and security service of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is more commonly referred to as the Gardaí (; "Guardians") or "the Guards". The service is headed by the Garda Commissio ...

, which is the police service of

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

. It is composed of 29 full time members and was founded in 1922.

History

Its first public appearance was at

Dún Laoghaire Dún Laoghaire ( , ) is a suburban coastal town in County Dublin in Ireland. It is the administrative centre of the county of Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown. The town was built up alongside a small existing settlement following 1816 legislation th ...

Pier on

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in 1923, and its first

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was Superintendent D.J. Delaney. In 1938, the Dublin Metropolitan Garda Band (based at Kevin Street) and the regular Garda Military Band were merged and were relocated to

Phoenix Park The Phoenix Park () is a large urban park in Dublin, Ireland, lying west of the city centre, north of the River Liffey. Its perimeter wall encloses of recreational space. It includes large areas of grassland and tree-lined avenues, and since ...

. In 1964, the band was engaged in a

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n tour of the

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and

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under the direction of Superintendent J. Moloney. It was disbanded in November 1965 by order of Justice Minister

Brian Lenihan Snr Brian Patrick Lenihan (17 November 1930 – 1 November 1995) was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who served as Tánaiste from 1987 to 1990, Minister for Defence from 1989 to 1990, Minister for Agriculture from March 1982 to December 1982, ...

but was then reformed seven years later to commemorate the

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of the foundation of the Garda Siochana. The move to disband the band was questioned during a general debate in the

Dáil Éireann Dáil Éireann ( ; , ) is the lower house and principal chamber of the Oireachtas, which also includes the president of Ireland and a senate called Seanad Éireann.Article 15.1.2° of the Constitution of Ireland reads: "The Oireachtas shall co ...

by the Labour Party deputy

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James Tully. The decision to reestablish the band was also in part due to the report of the Conroy Commission of 1970. At its reestablishment, Sergeant T. J. Boyle on 1 September 1972, serving until his retirement in October 1988. In 1978, women were recruited to the Garda Band for the first time. All members recruited after 26 April 1990 have not had the option to transfer to other duties. In 2014, acting Garda commissioner Noirín O’Sullivan proposed at the opening ceremony of

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that the band could take part in the

pride parade A pride parade (also known as pride event, pride festival, pride march, or pride protest) is an event celebrating lesbian, Gay men, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) social and self-acceptance, achievements, LGBT rights by country o ...

for the first time. In May 2019, a band member was involved in an incident which saw the member punching a fellow bandmember backstage at a

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event, where the

Police Service of Northern Ireland The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI; ; Ulster-Scots: '), is the police service responsible for law enforcement and the prevention of crime within Northern Ireland. It is the successor to the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) after it ...

Pipes and Drums were performing with the Garda Band on television for the first time.

Official functions

It primarily provides music for official functions such as graduation ceremonies at the Garda College and parades with the Garda. It has also performed at venues such as schools, festivals and sporting events. These have included performances at international soccer,

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and

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matches, the

St. Patrick's Day Saint Patrick's Day, or the Feast of Saint Patrick (), is a religious and cultural holiday held on 17 March, the traditional death date of Saint Patrick (), the foremost patron saint of Ireland. Saint Patrick's Day was made an official Chri ...

parade in

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, and the Rose of Tralee. It has historically participated in events such as the 4th International Police Band Festival in

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

(1991), and the

Easter Rising centenary parade The Easter Rising centenary parade took place in Dublin city on Easter Sunday, 27 March 2016 to commemorate the centenary of the Easter Rising. It involved all branches of the Defence Forces (Ireland), Defence Forces, including the Irish Army, A ...

. Between 2000 and 2005, it participated in close to 900 public events.

Salary and finances

Members of the band have an average salary of average of €58,985. Clothing and accessories also cost taxpayer €78,677 while €70,426 is spent on technical equipment. In 2017, it was revealed that the Garda Band accounted for €5,478,764 of police spending. The revelation came just after the lack of resources within the Garda was scrutinized by the Oireachtas Justice Committee. Even after cutting travel expenses by 50%, band cost almost €1.75m a year later.

References

{{Garda Síochána Irish musical groups Musical groups established in 1922 1922 establishments in Ireland Irish police bands

History

Official functions

Salary and finances

See also

References