Former Kilkenny-based detective lands high profile Garda job

An Offaly man has landed a high profile job in the Gardaí.

Fifty-two-year old Banagher native Ger Egan was recently appointed Detective Chief Superintendent of the Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation (GNBCI).

The GNBCI has a massive remit, covering the most serious of crimes. It's divided into a number of sections including the Criminal Investigation Department, the Internal Investigations Section, and the Serious Crime Review Team.

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Ger maintains close links with Banagher and regularly visits the town. His parents Mary and Edward live on Harbour Road and Edward is President of St Rynagh's GAA Club.

“I visit Banagher nearly every weekend,” he told the Midland Tribune. “I have a lot of relations in the town. My sister, Anne, is married locally. I take a big interest in the fortunes of St Rynagh's.”

Ger said he was inspired by the example of his grandfather to join the Guards. “My Grandad Thomas Ivory was a local Guard in Banagher Garda Station in the '50s and '60s. He was an inspiration to me. His example led me to think seriously about joining the force.” Another relation in the Gardaí was his cousin Joe Egan who was a Traffic Sergeant in Tullamore until three years ago.

Many years ago Ger was an underage hurler locally.

“I hurled underage with St Rynagh's in the 1980s. We had a very good team and won a number of championships. I played full back.”

In subsequent years he played hurling and football with Graiguecullen GAA in Laois. He coached the Ballyfin intermediate hurling team (Laois) to a county title in 2006. He also hurled with the Carlow Town club.

Ger was sworn into the Guards in 1994. His subsequent career included a lot of plain clothes detective work in Carlow, Kilkenny and Dublin. His talent, intelligence and strong work ethic stood strongly to him and he rose steadily through the ranks, becoming Sergeant, Inspector, Superintendent.

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In 2019 he was appointed Detective Superintendent of the Criminal Assets Bureau, a role that he held for two years. In 2021 he was appointed Detective Chief Superintendent of the Garda National Immigration Bureau, during which time the Ukraine Crisis loomed large. The Guards' role in this was to meet Ukrainian refugees at points of entry into the country and deal sympathetically with them.

“We liaised closely with the Red Cross and other organisations,” he explained. “Many of the refugees were women and children. Many of them were in a distressed state because of the trauma they had been through, because of the loved ones they had left behind. They needed new clothes, food, accommodation. Our role was to register them and ensure their humanitarian needs were met.” He said some of the refugees had brought their pets. “The Department of Children sourced accommodation for these, which could accommodate their pets.”

Ger said he enjoys his new job in the GNBCI, which role he took up in October, and he's overseeing an excellent team of detectives. He explained some of the vast amount of vital work which the unit undertakes. “We assisted the Detectives in Tullamore Garda Station in the weeks following the murder of Ashling Murphy, providing assistance in some of the interviewing process. We are currently involved in a number of Serious Crime Reviews including Sophie Toscan du Plantier and Jo Jo Dollard.”

The unit also takes the lead in the investigation of War Crimes and is currently working with Ukraine and French colleagues investigating the death of Fox News camera man Pierre Zakrzewski, who was killed during the Ukraine conflict.

Ger is married to Louise O'Neill who is a Garda Inspector in Kilkenny City. The couple live in a village in Laois.
Ger thinks that in general the Gardaí is an excellent police force which we should all be proud of.

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“Over the years I have worked in many Garda Stations and I've always been impressed by the good morale amongst the officers, the devotion to duty, and the strong desire to look after, as best they can, the people living in their regions.”