Ronan Quinn always wanted to be a garda. He decided not to apply initially, opting instead to do a diploma in international hotel management. While working in the hotel industry, he had contemplated going back and training with the Garda Síochána, but, with an age limit of 26 for new recruits, he was too old to apply.
When the age limit was raised to 35 in 2005, he jumped at the opportunity: "I didn't mind the job I was in, but I didn't want to spend the rest of my life at it."
The application process for the Garda is long, but focused - designed to distinguish those suited to the job from those who aren't. They include aptitude tests, an interview, report writing, a medical and a physical competency test.
Ronan didn't have to wait long to find out that he had been successful. "I was told that I had a place on the day of the physical competency test," he says. Two weeks later, he began.
Basic training takes three years, and is split into five phases. Ronan - who is now on phase three - says: "The first phase was tough enough. There was a lot of study but you just had to get your head down and do it."
The training mixes theory with the practical and recruits spend phase two as observers in Garda stations. Phase three is spent back in college before getting experience on the job where recruits have full Garda powers.
What attracts Ronan to the job? "No two days are ever going to be the same," he says. "Some days you might be catching up on paperwork and preparing files for court, while other times you mightn't get a chance to sneeze.
"There are so many areas to train in once you become a garda. I want to gather experience first and learn on the job before deciding what to do." He certainly isn't looking back wistfully at the hotel industry. "I absolutely love this. It's the best decision I ever made."