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Picture: Valerie O’Sullivan
A RETIRED Killarney Garda, who spent 33 years in the force, had the honour of formally welcoming Justice Minister, Helen McEntee, Garda Commissioner Drew Harris, and 150 delegates to the three-day Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (GSCO) conference in the town.
Cathal Walshe was asked to officiate at the official welcome ceremony and he ensured he availed of the opportunity to brief delegates on the great attractions of the town he has called home since 1970.
A native of Galway, Cathal joined the force in 1965 and was stationed in Farranfore for three years – where his mode of transport was a bicycle – before arriving in Killarney in 1970.
A hugely respected community Garda, he and his late wife, June, reared two sons Finbarr and Enda, in Killarney and he remained on the beat and on patrol in the town until he retired in 2003, at the age of 56.
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A former Fine Gael member of Killarney Town Council, Cathal’s family is steeped in the traditions of An Garda Siochana and law enforcement as his father, an uncleand his brother were also in the force and his son, Finbarr, works with the Department of Justice.
In another link with the past, the general secretary of the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors, Antoinette Cunningham (née Hennessy) – who addressed the GSCO conference – was a Garda based in Killarney and, as a recruit, she accompanied Cathal on the beat in the town in 1992.
Cathal shared his philosophy on policing with the delegates and, by means of advice, he told them two of his favourite sayings that he always referred to during his long and distinguished career: ‘When you set out with determination in the morning, you go to bed with satisfaction at night’ and ‘Experience is what you get when you don’t get what you wanted’.
He said he was thrilled to be asked to address the conference at the Great Southern Hotel and to welcome Minister McEntee and Garda Commissioner Drew Harris.
“It was very nice of them to ask me and it just shows that I may be gone but I’m not forgotten,” said Cathal, a great community activist who is one of the driving forces behind the annual Ring of Kerry charity cycle and he ensured he invited all the delegates and their families to participate in the event this year.