Minister Jim O’Callaghan welcomes more than 11,000 applications to join An Garda Síochána in 2025
- Published on: 20 October 2025
- Last updated on: 20 October 2025
20 October 2025
Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration Jim O’Callaghan this morning welcomed confirmation that just over 11,100 people have applied to join An Garda Síochána in 2025.
For the first time, there have been two Garda recruitment competitions this year, the latest of which closed on 9 October.
There was significant interest in the most recent competition, with 4,334 applications in addition to the 6,784 applications received in the February 2025 competition.
These competitions are conducted by publicjobs on behalf of An Garda Síochána.
Commenting on the strong application numbers, Minister O’Callaghan said:
“Since my appointment, I have made clear that my first priority is to get more Gardaí on our streets engaged in high visibility policing, so communities are safe and feel safe.
“We are seeing growing numbers embarking on a career with An Garda Siochana which leads to more Gardai patrolling our towns and cities throughout the country. This year 570 trainees have entered the Garda College in Templemore so far and a further 200 will enter the college to begin training in November.
“Key to further increasing the strength of An Garda Síochána is accelerating the pipeline of recruitment. I want to acknowledge the significant work undertaken by An Garda Siochana and publicjobs to speed up every step of the recruitment process this year.
“Candidates who applied in February are already undergoing training in the Garda College, and candidates that have applied in recent weeks will begin their training in 2026.”
ENDS