Newport celebrates a famous son – Michael Staines, first Commissioner of An Garda Siochana
Newport resounded this afternoon to the stirring music of the Garda Band as the local community, along with dignatories from near and far gathered to celebrate Michael Staines, the first Commissioner of An Garda Siochana.
Large crowds gathered on both banks of the Black Oak River as Michael Staines, a grandson of the Commissioner Staines, and the present Garda Commissioner, Drew Harris, jointly unveiled a plaque at Canon Killeen Memorial Park.
It was a festive and proud event, held in warm sunshine, preceded by invigorating music from a historically fitting ensemble, the Garda Band.
Born in Newport in 1885, Michael Staines was the son of Margaret and Edward, a Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) Officer.
He was a founding member of the Police Organising Committee, established to plan the formation of Ireland’s first unarmed police and security service.
He was later appointed the first Commissioner of An Garda Síochána and led the first recruits through the gates on Dublin Castle on August 17, 1922 (100 years ago today) when the Castle was formally handed over.
The words of the first Garda Commissioner were echoed at today’s events by the present Commissioner.
In 1922, Commissioner Staines highlighted what remains today as a cofre principle of An Garda Siochana: "To succeed, not by force of arms or numbers, but on their moral authority as servants of the people."
Today’s events were organised by Newport 300, a along with Newport and District Development Company (NADDCO), as part of the seaside town’s 300th anniversary celebrations.
“This is a very special afternoon for our town and an event that will be marked in the history books”, noted Sean Brosnan on the Facebook page of Newport 300 in advance of today’s commemoration.
Michael Joseph Staines’s family moved to Dublin in 1904 and lived in Stoneybatter.
After joining the Irish Volunteers at their inaugural meeting in 1913, Staines, rose through the ranks of the national movement taking up the position of quartermaster general in March 1916.
A month later, he played an active role in the seizure and later defence of the General Post Office.
Michael Staines died in 1955 and is buried in Clontarf alongside his wife, Julia, and daughter Sheila.