*Supt Brendan McDonagh overseeing operations at Shannon Garda Station ahead of the visit of Donald Trump in 2019. Photograph: Gerry Mooney

Tributes have been paid to a prominent Clare Garda ahead of his upcoming retirement.

Superintendent Brendan McDonagh is to retire from An Garda Sรญochรกna this week bringing the curtain down on four decades of service.

He was appointed a Superintendent in Ennis in March 2015, moving from his role as Inspector at Limerick’s Roxboro Road Garda Station. McDonagh previously worked with the traffic corps in Clare.

Speaking at Mondayโ€™s meeting of the Clare Joint Policing Committee, Chief Superintendent Seรกn Colleran acknowledged the contribution of his colleague and revealed that for Supt McDonaghโ€™s final week on the job he was excused from attending the JPC.

Colleran outlined, โ€œHe has made my job much easierโ€. He praised Supt McDonagh and his colleagues for taking โ€œa huge interest in the policing of Clare. All of us in Clare should be thankful that we have people of that calibreโ€.

Supt McDonaghโ€™s commitment to Clare by spending up 33 of his 40 working years in the county was referenced by Chief Supt Colleran. โ€œ34 years in the one county. He will be hugely missed, he was really invested in Clare, everything he did was for the right reasonโ€.

Director of Service with Clare County Council, Leonard Cleary had already met Supt McDonagh to wish him well on his retirement. โ€œHe is an exemplary member of An Garda Sรญochรกna. Supt McDonagh was a great partner to Clare County Council on many difficult and positive projectsโ€.

Cathaoirleach of Clare County Council, Cllr PJ Ryan (IND) stated, โ€œBrendan has been a very good friend to the people of Clare. Policing in Clare is certainly in a better position than when he came into itโ€.

Golf will become a bigger priority for the retiring Garda, Cllr Alan Oโ€™Callaghan (FF) quipped. โ€œHe was a fella you could always pick up the phone to. He gave years of service to us in Co Clare, he is trying to get his handicap down, heโ€™ll be hitting the golf course nowโ€.

Chair of the JPC, Cllr John Crowe (FG) described Supt McDonagh as an โ€œapproachable man alwaysโ€ while his predecessor Cllr Mary Howard (FG) noted, โ€œhe was a very easy person to deal withโ€.

Deputy Commissioner of An Garda Sรญochรกna, Dr Shawna Coxon who was formerly Deputy Police Chief of Toronto walked the beat in Ennis in recent weeks when she toured Ennis Garda Station and thanked Supt McDonagh for his forty year contribution to the job.

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