Dónall Ó Cualáin (born 4 November 1957) is a former Irish
Garda who served as Acting
Garda Commissioner
The Garda Commissioner () – officially known as the Commissioner of An Garda Síochána () – is the head of the Garda Síochána, the national police force of Ireland. The Garda Commissioner is appointed by the Government of Ireland (Cabine ...
from September 2017 to September 2018, after the resignation of
Nóirín O'Sullivan
Nóirín O'Sullivan (born 3 November 1960) is an Irish Garda Síochána, Garda who has served as Director of Strategic Partnerships for Europe at the International Association of Chiefs of Police since October 2017. She previously served as Garda ...
.
Biography
From
Carna in the
Gaeltacht
A ( , , ) is a district of Ireland, either individually or collectively, where the Irish government recognises that the Irish language is the predominant vernacular, or language of the home.
The districts were first officially recognised ...
area of
Connemara
Connemara ( ; ) is a region on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of western County Galway, in the west of Ireland. The area has a strong association with traditional Irish culture and contains much of the Connacht Irish-speaking Gaeltacht, ...
,
County Galway
County Galway ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Northern and Western Region, taking up the south of the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht. The county population was 276,451 at the 20 ...
, Ó Culáin is a fluent
Irish speaker.
He was appointed Deputy Garda Commissioner and Head of Governance and Strategy on 20 October 2015.
Following the resignation of
Nóirín O'Sullivan
Nóirín O'Sullivan (born 3 November 1960) is an Irish Garda Síochána, Garda who has served as Director of Strategic Partnerships for Europe at the International Association of Chiefs of Police since October 2017. She previously served as Garda ...
, Ó Cualáin was appointed as Acting Garda Commissioner on 11 September 2017, by the
Minister for Justice and Equality Charles Flanagan
Charles Flanagan (born 1 November 1956) is an Irish former Fine Gael politician who served as Minister for Justice and Equality from 2017 to 2020, Chair of the Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence from 2020 to 2024, Minister for Foreign A ...
.
PSNI Deputy Chief Constable
Drew Harris was announced as the 21st Garda Commissioner by the
Government of Ireland
The Government of Ireland () is the executive (government), executive authority of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, headed by the , the head of government. The government – also known as the cabinet (government), cabinet – is composed of Mini ...
on 26 June 2018. Ó Cualáin remained in place as Acting Commissioner until the official appointment of Harris on 3 September 2018, after which he retired.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:ÓCualáin, Dónall
Garda Commissioners
Living people
Police officers from County Galway
Alumni of Garda Síochána College
1957 births
21st-century Irish people