Retired garda takes a stroll down memory lane to where it all began in Limerick city

A TRIP DOWN memory lane unlocks more colourful memories when the route in question was once your patrol beat, as Mary d'Estelle Roe, 72, discovered as she retraced her very first steps as a member of An Garda Síochána many years before.

The iconic red brick building, which once housed Edward Street garda station now sits idle, but, for Mary, its sight alone sparks a flood of memories, free now to roam in the cold light of day, like the old men too fond of the drink who would have once slept the night away in its cells.

The building, and indeed the street itself, have changed somewhat since Mary’s first day here on September 15, 1974.

It’s age-old red bricks now show the scars of dereliction. Graffiti lines its face like a pock-marked teen and wooden boards keep out all but the thinnest slivers of light from its once busy halls.

Standing before the building’s doorway, as she had done hundreds of times before, Mary admits its condition imposes an empty feeling in the pit of her stomach. However, amid the pangs of melancholy, a flood of beautiful memories comes flooding back.

Her mind goes back 50 years to her first day in Limerick, a long way from her family home in Monaghan.

“Ban Sergeant Mary O' Donnell collected me from the train station and introduced me to my landlady, at No 1 New Street. It was home away from home to be honest. There were even similar rules. Lock the door going out. If you are late coming in, take off your shoes and don't make any noise,” said the former garda.

Rules are rules and Mary followed them without question, recalling her landlady as a kind woman who was glad of the company.

At the age of 23, Mary was following in the footsteps of her older siblings.

She was the sixth member of a large family of ten children, whose older brothers had all chosen to join An Garda Siochana, with two more younger siblings also following her path.

However, she was very much still a trailblazer for her time. Mary was only the 64th woman to become a member of An Garda Síochána, with women only being allowed to join in 1959 and even then only in small numbers.

She was only allowed to join at the age of 21, three years later than her male counterparts, for fear she would marry.

'It was dodgy there for a while lads' - Limerick's Dermot Whelan reaches Africa's highest peak

The uniform of the time consisted of a simple tunic, blouse and skirt which fell below the knees, which were to be worn with official tights and black Cuban heels. There was no such thing as trousers then for the women of the force, Mary said, and changes to equality were not to be implemented until the late ‘70s, and early ‘80s.

The next step of her new adventure was Edward Street itself, and, according to Mary, there was an immediate difficulty - the accent barrier.

“Not being used to the Munster dialect, it took some time to communicate in the local language,” she said. A colleague armed with a Donegal accent soon became an impromptu interpreter.

Quickly learning the local lingo, Mary went on nightly call- outs to O’Malley Park.

“In those good old days, during a call to any house in the estate, I always got a welcome. Whether it was a statement required, a summons, or a mother seeking advice on her son or daughter's suspected recent behaviour - I always found a welcome,” Mary said.

“The greatest social memory, for me, was calling to one particular home of a very large family with a Christmas hamper and the joy in the face of that mother will never leave me,” she added.

It wouldn’t be long, however, before Mary was getting involved in the action that a bustling 1970s Limerick had to offer - and it wasn’t all plane sailing.

“My first checkpoint duty with a colleague was based in Wolfe Tone Street. I was so thrilled with myself for stopping a car with no tax displayed. I duly put my learning into practice and did what I thought was right. The only problem was I forgot to write down the registration number of the car. No first court case for me yet but I learned a lot from the experience,” she added.

Mary’s toughest test came as she attended the scene of a road traffic accident.

“A young mother was killed on her way back from shopping for her two children and through no fault of hers, a tragic accident occurred where a lorry jack-knifed right into her car.

“I will never forget that experience and it is just as vivid today as it was nearly 50 years ago. Travelling in the ambulance with her as she was dying was a testament to the stressful role of An Garda Siochana,” she added.

Until recently, Mary, who in her 50 years of service earned the rank of sergeant, had worried what would become of her old place of work. But Mary, who never let go of her love for Limerick, still reads the Limerick Leader to this day. Through this, she was thrilled to learn that the old red bricks of Edward Street would see new life, with the news that Limerick City and County

Council had acquired the building that helped shape the woman she is today.