This article is from page 3 of the 2006-01-31 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 3 JPG
A TRADITION in policing in the mid-west is poised to continue well into the future now that Gda Damien Kennedy has followed in his dad’s footsteps, by graduating as a garda last week.
Damien, whose dad Detective Garda Kevin Kennedy has been in the force for the past 34 years, passed out at Templemore on Thursday.
Kevin, who is originally from Killanena, has been based in Ennis for the past 25 years and joined the detective branch in 1993. He has also served in Ennistymon and Quin.
He is renowned in sporting circles in Clare, having won county senior hurling championships with east Clare side, Brian Boru’s, and Éire Óg, Ennis, in the 70s and 80s.
Kevin managed the Clare team which won the Minor All-Ireland hurling title in 1997 and also managed the county’s U21 hurling side.
Damien, like his dad, is wellknown in sporting circles. He was a sub on the Clare senior hurling team that lost to Kilkenny in the All-Ireland final in 2002. He is a key player on the St Joseph’s/Doora Barefield senior hurling team. He has lined out for Clare at various levels over the years.
Damien (23), will be stationed at Roxboro Road station in Limerick. He was based there for the final part of his training at Templemore.
Damien is one of four Clare gardaí who passed out last week. The others are David Moloney from Inagh, who is based in Dun Laoghaire; Shane O’Neill, from Ballyea, Ennis, who is stationed in Templemore and Thomas Devereux from Kilrush, who is based in Shankill, Dublin.
Eleven of the 127 gardaí who passed out last week have been allocated to the Clare Garda Division.
Gda Elizabeth McDonagh (Askeaton) is the sole graduate who is stationed in Ennis, while ten others are based in Shannon. They are Gda Stephen Elvins (Kerry); Gda Christopher Lanney (Dublin); Gda Karen Coughlan (Wicklow); Gda Barbara Kelly (Dublin); Gda Joe Duggan (Dublin); Gda David Laing (Limerick); Gda Patrick Clarke (Kildare); Gda Conor McKeown (Dublin); Gda Philip Hayes (Tipperary) and Gda Micheál Mannion (Galway).
The garda who received the Commissioner’s Medal for highest marks in academic subjects — Gda Colm McDonachadha from Leitir Mór in Galway — was based in Ennis for part of his training.