“THE level of crime was never as high”, in West Clare one cllr has claimed, due to a lack of Garda presence and Gardaí being pulled from their stations to cover at Shannon Airport.
Cllr. Dinny Gould (IND) was speaking at Monday’s meeting of Clare County Council where cllrs from across the county stressed the importance of increasing Garda numbers throughout Clare. Cllr Gould stated that a Garda presence was needed for the summer especially in Kilrush or Kilkee.
The 9 cllrs of the Ennistymon and Kilrush municipal districts were united in a motion put before the council where they called on the Garda commissioner and local management to “increase the Garda numbers throughout the county and to ensure that each area of the county is fully resourced in its own right. It is untenable that areas of the county are routinely left without their own Garda presence, so that more “strategic” locations are covered”.
Cllrs continually stressed the importance of a local Garda presence throughout West Clare as well as expressing their disappointment with the current amalgamation of the Clare and Tipperary Garda divisions and the fact that guards from West and North Clare are continually being pulled into Shannon airport.
Cllr. Shane Talty (FF) stated that the motion was following on from a recent successful meeting with Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan TD (FF) and highlighted the need for a greater police presence in Clare.
“There are about 90 less members in Clare on active service than there would have been 10 years ago in comparison with population. We want to see some of those recruits coming out of Templemore coming out to Clare. One Saturday night in May we were left with a situation with one squad car covering Kilrush to Kinvarra while others were taken into Shannon. Shannon needs to be treated on its own as a national strategic asset” the Ennistymon man added.
Doonbeg native Cllr. Rita McInereny (FF) stated that Guards in Clare “cannot be expected to do more with less resources”, while she acknowledged the continual hard work and professionalism of the county’s current Gardaí.
“We are particularly concerned about the reports about recent staffing levels. There were reports that there were only 60 regular Guards on duty across the entire county. Every community deserves to be safe and supported. Its about recognising the needs of staffing levels to do their jobs. Public safety for all of us remains a priority and rural communities remain a priority for that”, she continued.
Cllr. Ian Lynch (IND) appeared via MS Teams to support the motion and warned of the potential strain on existing Garda numbers in West Clare due to increased strain from the influx of tourists and police members being pulled into Shannon Airport “There should be some national overtime protocol. It’s something that we can’t let go on for the summer as we see an influx of tourists into West and North Clare. It can’t be allowed to impact on resources locally”, the independent added.
As of December 2025, there are 298 Gardaí stationed in Co Clare. The 3.5 percent increase on 2024 figures saw the contingent of Gardaí increase from 58 to 71 in Shannon, 10 to 13 in Crusheen at the protective service unit but numbers dropped in Ennis from 114 to 110 and in Kilrush from 39 to 38.
Cllr Bill Slattery (FG) highlighted the seriousness of this issue amongst the county’s electorate, revealing that “Nine cllrs have been contacted in regards to these serious concerns. I’m really concerned because the Guards themselves are concerned for their own safety because there’s absolutely no mobile unit if they are called in to Shannon airport. I want to reiterate the call that this will not continue”, the Lahinch man added.
Cllrs maintained throughout the lengthy discussion that Clare’s current Garda members were doing the best possible job with the meagre resources they have been allocated since their amalgamation with Tipperary in 2023.
Cllr. Joe Garrihy (FG) outlined the importance of community in helping to keep isolated areas safe in West Clare. “Community safety is not a matter solely for Gardaí. Community cohesion is a major part of people feeling safe and that they know that the guards are there. There was a great community Garda presence in North Clare for a number of years but that was removed”, said Garrihy.
“Visible policing in North Clare would be seeing Guards walking up and down the street a bit more than they are at the moment. I would love to see that role brought back to North Clare where a community Garda is stationed and gets to know the community”, the Lisdoonvarna representative continued.
Offering an East Clare perspective on the issue, former Cathaoirleach Cllr. Alan O’Callaghan (FF) summed up matters by saying “The main forecast of this discussion is Guards from West and North Clare are being pulled into Shannon and the whole county is being affected by this. We are where we are with the airport. We just can’t seem to get on top of it. The amalgamation doesn’t work for Clare. We’ve an international airport, we’ve a lot going on to merit our own division and at the end of the day it all comes down to numbers”, the Sixmilebridge cllr concluded.
Summing up, Cllr Talty thanked representatives for the support he had received from across the county’s elected representatives and added that he would pass on the motion to the relevant Oireachtas members and Ministers.
