Garda Band cost taxpayers more than €6m since 2022
Darragh Mc Donagh
The Garda Band has cost taxpayers more than €6 million since 2022, new figures have revealed.
The troupe of 24 full-time musicians, who hold ranks such as inspector and sergeant but are not involved in policing duties, played at almost 500 events during that period at an average cost of over €12,300 per gig.
Some of these events required only a single bugler, and almost 30 per cent of them were school concerts. More than half of the performances were community events such as recitals at nursing homes.
The band also plays at official Garda events such as funerals of former members, and graduation ceremonies at Templemore College. It also provides music at the Rose of Tralee festival each year.
Records released under the Freedom of Information Act show that the Garda Band cost a total of €1.78 million last year, with musicians and administrative support staff earning an average of €67,676 each.
More than €60,000 was also spent on communications and other equipment, while travel and subsistence costs amounted to €17,591. The band played at 124 events in 2024 with an average cost of €14,341 per performance.
Bookings last year included a series of school visits and a “Black Santa” event in December, the Dublin Pride Parade, the Ballina Salmon Festival, and an “old folks dinner” in Stillorgan.
The Garda Band has its own premises in the Phoenix Park. Its members are qualified musicians who are sworn in as members of An Garda Síochána and undergo basic training to allow for deployment to front-line policing, if required.
The band was established shortly after the foundation of the state but was disbanded in 1965 by then-justice minister Brian Lenihan Sr., who said the group had “outlived its usefulness” and that the cost of maintaining it was “excessive, wasteful, and out of all proportion to any purpose served”.
However, the band was re-established in 1972 to mark the 50th anniversary of An Garda Síochána, and has remained part of the force since then.
A spokesman for the force said the band performs at Garda and state functions, and is dedicated to the development of good relations between An Garda Síochána and the community it serves.
“It achieves this through the performance of a varied, entertainment-focused programme which evolves to suit every audience, event or setting,” he added.
“Many Garda Band concerts serve not only as Garda community relations events, but as essential fundraising opportunities for local communities, sports clubs and charities.
“The band plays a cultural role on behalf of the state, in bringing live musical performance of every musical genre, to communities nationwide, many of whom would not otherwise experience live music.”
