People of a more genteel, polite era may now address local woman and co-founder of the family business known as Nana Bea’s Restaurant, Christine Higgins as Garda Higgins henceforth.
Because on Friday last October 13th Garda Christine Higgins passed out with her class of 2022 applicants at the 1964 established Garda Síochána College at McCan Barracks in Templemore, Co. Tipperary.
Garda Higgins is one of the 126 new members of the force of which 35 are women with men making up the remaining 91.
Garda Training Application 2022
Christine did the application for the Garda Foundation Training Programme in 2022 as Gaeilge and was then called for training as a successful applicant.
Garda training concludes when the Garda Commissioner confirms the trainee’s appointment as a member of An Garda Síochána, following the successful completion of the probationary period and
all aspects of Garda training can take up to a year and a half to complete.
Garda Higgins, a daughter of Shirley and Chris Higgins, found the course tough, thorough, highly educational and eye opening and the ideal preparation for the real world a station based Garda faces.
Emphasis on Mental Health
Asked if there was any aspect of the learning programme that surprised her, she immediately pointed to the emphasis on the levels of mental health problems in communities and how to handle situations where this is a factor.
While on work experience in a town in North Kerry, Christine came face-to-face with real-life situations she had seen only between the covers of study manuals up to then.
She is now based in Killarney and is setting out in her new career with hope in her heart that she can make a difference in whatever community or station she is assigned to in the years ahead.
A Proud Family Day
A career in the service of the public was always on the cards for Christine. Even in fifth year at school she thought of the Air Corps.
Work commitments and life itself placed diversion signs on her path and she took them all – until she filled and filed that Garda training application form in 2022 – and the rest is her story.
“It was a proud day for Christine and her family and there was nobody more proud than her son Ethan as they took their place beside Chief superintendent Pat Murray and Garda Commissioner Drew Harris in Templemore on Friday,” said a family friend at the weekend.
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