Watch: Former soldiers and a baker among new garda recruits
Today, 120 new gardaí graduated from the Garda College in Templemore, bringing the strength of the force to over 14,300 sworn members.
Of the 89 men and 31 women, 22 were born outside the State and come from Belarus, Belgium, Brazil, Croatia, England, Italy, Moldova, Northern Ireland, Pakistan, Poland, Russia, Scotland, South Africa and Spain.
Most of them, 74 in all, will be sent to Dublin.
We spoke to three of the new gardaí, an Irish and an Italian soldier, and a baker who returned from Australia, and asked them where they come from, why they joined and what they hope to achieve in An Garda Siochána.
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