Sir, – The recent spate of closing of Garda stations,culminating in widespread closures in 2013, brings me back to the situation in the 1930s and 1940s in my local village of Ballydehob, population about 400, at that time.While I can still remember the burnt-out ruins of the old RIC barracks in the village, in the meantime a pleasant bungalow-style Garda station had been built with a half-acre lawn in front.
In addition to being the official station, it also provided accommodation for the sergeant and his family. He was assisted by three gardaí. Their onerous duties consisted mainly of spotting unlit bicycles on dark country roads,checking dog licences and, as Flann O’Brien would have it in The Third Policeman,checking “bull papers” in the various farmsteads in the surrounding countryside. There was also the question of unshod donkeys and the presence of noxious weeds, which now decorate most of our roadsides in the summer time.
Finally, there was the occasional discovery of after-hours drinking in one or other of the local pubs. A busy schedule, indeed. Incidentally, the village was also provided with a bank and railway service in that period. Garda station, bank and railway, which could apparently be afforded in those not notably affluent times, are now all vanished. – Yours, etc,
Sir, – Shane Ross TD is quoted (Home News, February 4th) as advising the following as a reaction in relation to the planned closure of Stepaside Garda station: “I would urge you to block up the telephones and the e-mails of the Department of Justice so they can’t do any business” by means of protest. It should be sharply noted that it is totally unacceptable for any TD to advocate that such an initiative be taken. The Department of Justice is a resource for all citizens and its work should not be interfered with deliberately in the mode suggested.
The protest itself is an over-reaction. Dundrum Garda Station is seven minutes’ drive at normal speed from Stepaside Garda Station, according to Google Maps. A speeding squad car can make up the relevant distance in less than five minutes in the case of emergency. – Yours, etc,