If you ever considered joining the guards, now might be the time to look into it.

An Garda Siochána is on looking for people to join the force, with March 16th the closing date for this round of recruitment.

Around 800 people are needed in the short term, while overall around 16,000 new Gardai are being sought.

The organisation, which is celebrating 100 years in existence, has published a poster outlining the criteria required to become a guard:

Hearing from a member of The Force

Garda Sgt Laura Dragoi is the Divisional Clerk in Kilkenny, working out of the Chief Superintendent's office.

She joined in 2007, and says it's "challenging, different and offers a great variety."

Speaking to Damien Tiernan on Déise Today, Laura discussed the criteria involved.

She highlighted that a lot of barriers have been lifted to joining, including the necessity to have the Irish language. Laura says the removal of this restriction enabled her to become a guard.

You can listen to Laura's chat with Damien through the link in this podcast.

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