The former Clonmel Arms Hotel site, which straddles the Quay and Sarsfield Street
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23 Feb 2026
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23 Feb 2026
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Templemore Garda College
Rural policing in Tipperary came under scrutiny this month as Mattie McGrath, Independent TD for Tipperary South, pressed the Government on garda allocations.
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Speaking on 11 February 2026, Deputy McGrath described what he called a deteriorating situation across the county. “The Gardaí numbers in Tipperary are appalling.
Superintendents tell me that they struggle to put out a patrol car. People are not getting replies to phone calls and are being told by superintendents now to dial 999 but they are still not getting answered and people are left waiting for hours never to receive a call back.”
He said that frontline members were being placed in untenable positions. “I support the gardaí who are there and doing their best but it is just not fair to or safe for those gardaí. A number of them have been injured when they were on their own with no back up. The situation in all the rural areas is chronic.”
The intervention came in the form of a question to the Government on rural garda allocations, with Deputy McGrath arguing that communities outside the main urban centres are being left exposed. “The people of rural Ireland, they deserve protection.”
The Taoiseach, Micheál Martin, responded by highlighting recent recruitment and investment in the Gardaí. “We have put a lot of funding allocation in the Gardaí. We have record numbers going through Templemore.”
He noted that 725 trainees were trained in Templemore in 2025, marking the highest yearly total since 2018, and added that 215 trainees entered Templemore on Monday the 9th of February.
Micheál Martin said these recruits would be gradually deployed across the country. “So we will gradually roll out more gardaí around the country. A lot of progress has been made and we will continue to get around the country in terms of further allocation.”
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