Gsoc member to miss work as a result of serious back injury

A member of the Garda Ombudsman Commission (Gsoc) has been injured while on holiday in northern Spain and is likely to be out of work for some months.

Kieran Fitzgerald sailed with friends late last month from Ireland to northwest Spain, tracing the sea route taken by medieval pilgrims to Santiago de Compostela.

It was their intention to walk from the coast of Galicia to the inland city to visit the cathedral, which houses the reputed remains of St James.

However, before setting off on the walk, Mr Fitzgerald fell while sitting on a low wall, seriously injuring his back.

He is being treated in hospital in the Galician port city of A Coruña and it is understood he will need some time to recuperate.

Mr Fitzgerald has worked at Gsoc for nine years, starting in 2007 as head of communications and research, before being appointed a commissioner in 2011. Before that, he was a journalist with RTÉ.

He has a doctorate in governance from the School of Law and the Queen's University, Belfast.

It is not clear what effect, if any, Mr Fitzgerald’s absence from Gsoc will have on the several high-profile investigations being overseen by the office.