‘Order from chaos’

A major new exhibition on the history of Irish policing has opened at the Tipperary Museum of Hidden History in Clonmel and will run until the end of March 2027.

The Garda centenary of 2022 generated a renewed interest in Garda history and heritage, and with the Garda College museum having been closed in 2020, Sgt John Reynolds, who had set up and run the museum for over 20 years, contacted the Tipperary County Museum in Clonmel to see if they would be interested in hosting an exhibition on policing at some stage in the future.

Given the importance of Tipperary to Irish policing history, curator Marie McMahon loved the idea and when John retired in 2022 and had more time to work on the project, plans were made to host an exhibition in 2026, resulting in ‘Order from Chaos… The Policing History of Tipperary and Ireland’, which is now open.

The exhibition focuses on over 200 years of the history of policing, crime and punishment in Tipperary, where organised policing in Ireland first began in 1814 with the deployment of Robert Peel’s Peace Preservation Force (PPF). The wide-ranging exhibition uses resources including artefacts, uniforms, Scott medals, documents and the unique Garda Historic Photo Archives to illustrate key events in policing history. It offers visitors a compelling journey through more than 200 years of policing history and its impact on Irish society. Mr Reynolds talked of his “immense pride” in working on this exhibition.

POWERFUL STORIES

Through powerful personal stories such as that of Henry Phelan, the first Garda to be murdered, who was killed in Mullinahone, visitors will gain insight into the risks faced by early members of the force. The exhibition also showcases the continuing evolution of An Garda Síochána throughout the 20th and 21st centuries, including milestone developments such as the introduction of women into the force in 1959, the creation of the Scott Medal for Valour, and the emergence of today’s modern, unarmed and community-focused policing service.

The flagship display is an authentic recreation of a crime scene investigation, facilitated by the Divisional CSI unit for Tipperary/Clare Division. Garda Tadgh Mohally, Divisional Crime Scene Investigator, said that he was “delighted to be asked to advise the museum and collaborate on this project. I hope visitors to the exhibition will see and learn the type of work CSI does day in day out and the other various roles and duties we perform.”

The exhibition aims not only to inform but also to inspire reflection on the relationship between policing and community life, highlighting the challenges and achievements of those who have served over the past two centuries.

The exhibition will run until the end of March 2027, and as the Garda Museum in Dublin Castle is closed until 2027 because of the EU Presidency, Clonmel, will have the only policing museum in the country. The museum is open from Tuesday to Saturday between 10am and 4.30pm. Closed on Sundays and bank holidays, closed for lunch between 1pm and 2pm on Saturdays.