Origins
In medieval Ireland, the notion of a police force was unknown. Laws, in both the Gaelic-controlled and English-controlled parts of the country, were enforced collectively. In 1308, The Statute of Winchester (1285) was extended into Ireland and it formed the basis of law enforcement for the following 500 years. Householders were obliged to keep arms and to present themselves when the apprehension of a criminal was required. The first appearance of justices of the peace (magistrates), constables and night watchmen in Irish history can be dated to this period (Malcolm, 1998).
Constables served in baronies and parishes from the 1300s and played a part in military, civil and criminal matters. They acted for magistrates, who often appointed them. In the eighteenth century, increasing agrarian protest, political agitation and a dissatisfaction with what was believed to be an ineffective Baronial Constabulary led central government to attempt to reform the policing system. In 1787, the government established a new constabulary force which could be readily deployed to disturbed areas. Magistrates and grand juries, sensing that their traditional local powers were being usurped, resisted the introduction of the new body and it was only ever dispatched to 4 counties. In 1792, the Irish Parliament confirmed the right of grand juries to appoint constables in some baronies, as long as they were protestants. Many of these men worked on a part-time basis, were badly paid, lacked uniforms and were unarmed. The “Barnies”, as they came to be known, were the main organ of law enforcement in rural Ireland until the establishment of the centrally-controlled County Constabulary in 1822 (Malcolm, 1998, p. 39).
A uniformed, armed, and government-controlled police force existed (at various times) in Dublin the late 18th century. It was the first of its kind in the British Isles but was opposed by ratepayers who thought it was too costly and too oppressive. It competed for survival with locally-controlled, unarmed forces. In 1836, the Dublin Metropolitan Police (DMP) was formed. DMP constables were not armed and they could marry freely. Its G Division investigated political crimes. The DMP survived until 1925 when it merged with An Gárda Síochána (Malcolm, 1998).
In 1814, Chief Secretary Robert Peel introduced the Peace Preservation Force, a mobile unit that could be dispatched to counties that had been proclaimed as disturbed. The presence of these “peelers” in a particular region was obnoxious to the landed class and to ratepayers there because the local authorities had to pay for their upkeep, whether their presence was requested or not. The PPF was essentially a type of “riot police” and it was only ever used in disturbed areas (Herlihy, 1997, p. 31). Ireland at that time had no shortage of disturbances however, and by 1822, the PPF had seen action in half the counties of Ireland.
In 1822, a national, centrally-controlled and permanent constabulary was established for the first time. The PPF was absorbed into this new body (known as the County Constabulary) only to re-emerge in 1831 at the time of the Tithe War. The PPF and the County Constabulary were permanently fused after reforms in 1836. This amalgamated force would be known as the Irish Constabulary (Malcolm, 1998).
Under-Secretary for Ireland Thomas Drummond was the architect of the restructured Irish Police system. He had worked throughout the country with the Ordnance Survey of Ireland and had acquired a comprehensive knowledge the grievances of the peasantry. The Drummond Act of 1836 consolidated and repealed all previous policing acts. The headquarters of the new force was based at “the constabulary office” which took up nearly a complete wing of Dublin Castle. From 1836, every county was supervised by a county inspector and counties were subdivided into a number of districts, each commanded by a district inspector. There were 1,400 police barracks around the country. Marriage was forbidden for policemen until seven years of service had been completed. Potential brides were vetted. Sometimes a married couple would live in a barracks and the wife would provide meals for the men who messed together. Drummond’s Code of Conduct for the Irish Constabulary (1837) stressed how important it was for constables to:
…act in the discharge of their various duties with the utmost forbearance, mildness, certainty, and perfect civility to all classes of Her Majesty’s subjects and that upon no occasion or under any provocation should they so far forget themselves as to permit their feelings to get the better of their discretion, and conduct themselves unduly and harshly in the performance of their respective offices (quoted in Herlihy, 1997, p. 48).
See what foreigners thought of the Irish police in the 19th century by clicking here.
Constables served in baronies and parishes from the 1300s and played a part in military, civil and criminal matters. They acted for magistrates, who often appointed them. In the eighteenth century, increasing agrarian protest, political agitation and a dissatisfaction with what was believed to be an ineffective Baronial Constabulary led central government to attempt to reform the policing system. In 1787, the government established a new constabulary force which could be readily deployed to disturbed areas. Magistrates and grand juries, sensing that their traditional local powers were being usurped, resisted the introduction of the new body and it was only ever dispatched to 4 counties. In 1792, the Irish Parliament confirmed the right of grand juries to appoint constables in some baronies, as long as they were protestants. Many of these men worked on a part-time basis, were badly paid, lacked uniforms and were unarmed. The “Barnies”, as they came to be known, were the main organ of law enforcement in rural Ireland until the establishment of the centrally-controlled County Constabulary in 1822 (Malcolm, 1998, p. 39).
A uniformed, armed, and government-controlled police force existed (at various times) in Dublin the late 18th century. It was the first of its kind in the British Isles but was opposed by ratepayers who thought it was too costly and too oppressive. It competed for survival with locally-controlled, unarmed forces. In 1836, the Dublin Metropolitan Police (DMP) was formed. DMP constables were not armed and they could marry freely. Its G Division investigated political crimes. The DMP survived until 1925 when it merged with An Gárda Síochána (Malcolm, 1998).
In 1814, Chief Secretary Robert Peel introduced the Peace Preservation Force, a mobile unit that could be dispatched to counties that had been proclaimed as disturbed. The presence of these “peelers” in a particular region was obnoxious to the landed class and to ratepayers there because the local authorities had to pay for their upkeep, whether their presence was requested or not. The PPF was essentially a type of “riot police” and it was only ever used in disturbed areas (Herlihy, 1997, p. 31). Ireland at that time had no shortage of disturbances however, and by 1822, the PPF had seen action in half the counties of Ireland.
In 1822, a national, centrally-controlled and permanent constabulary was established for the first time. The PPF was absorbed into this new body (known as the County Constabulary) only to re-emerge in 1831 at the time of the Tithe War. The PPF and the County Constabulary were permanently fused after reforms in 1836. This amalgamated force would be known as the Irish Constabulary (Malcolm, 1998).
Under-Secretary for Ireland Thomas Drummond was the architect of the restructured Irish Police system. He had worked throughout the country with the Ordnance Survey of Ireland and had acquired a comprehensive knowledge the grievances of the peasantry. The Drummond Act of 1836 consolidated and repealed all previous policing acts. The headquarters of the new force was based at “the constabulary office” which took up nearly a complete wing of Dublin Castle. From 1836, every county was supervised by a county inspector and counties were subdivided into a number of districts, each commanded by a district inspector. There were 1,400 police barracks around the country. Marriage was forbidden for policemen until seven years of service had been completed. Potential brides were vetted. Sometimes a married couple would live in a barracks and the wife would provide meals for the men who messed together. Drummond’s Code of Conduct for the Irish Constabulary (1837) stressed how important it was for constables to:
…act in the discharge of their various duties with the utmost forbearance, mildness, certainty, and perfect civility to all classes of Her Majesty’s subjects and that upon no occasion or under any provocation should they so far forget themselves as to permit their feelings to get the better of their discretion, and conduct themselves unduly and harshly in the performance of their respective offices (quoted in Herlihy, 1997, p. 48).
See what foreigners thought of the Irish police in the 19th century by clicking here.