Goretti Sheridan confirmed as Donegal's new Chief Superintendent

The appointment of Goretti Sheridan as the new Garda Chief Superintendent in Donegal has been officially confirmed.

Her promotion was formally confirmed by An Garda Siochana on Monday morning.

Having been a Superintendent in the Letterkenny Garda Division, the Rathmullan native is now the top Garda in the county with Donegal now operating as a stand-alone Garda division.

Currently a superintendent based at Letterkenny Garda Station, the Rathmullan native will be unveiled as Donegal’s leading Garda within the next few days.

Last January, she was appointed to replace the retired Superintendent Michael Finan in Letterkenny.

Previously, she served as an Inspector in Letterkenny, where she was stationed since 2013, until her promotion to the rank of Superintendent in 2019.

Superintendent Sheridan joined the force in 1993.She served in Castlerea and the Sligo District before succeeding Superintendent Eugene McGovern in Buncrana in October, 2020 prior to being transferred back to Letterkenny.

The daughter of Claire and the late Patsy Sheridan, Superintendent Sheridan also holds a Master of Arts (M.A.) focused in Criminology from Dublin Institute of Technology.

There had been plans to amalgamate the Donegal, Sligo and Leitrim divisions with Chief Superintendent Aidan Glacken overseeing all three since the retirement of Chief Superintendent Terry McGinn in late 2022.

A proposal to amalgamate Donegal into a three-county Division with Sligo and Leitrim was shelved following a review by senior Gardai.

The review was requested by the Garda Commissioner and conducted by an Assistant Commissioner, the Garda Senior Leadership Team has decided to re-configure the composition of certain three-county Divisions under the Garda Operating Model.

Senior Gardai in Donegal, as well as the Donegal Public Participation Network (PPN), who represent 653 community groups across the county, had urged the Garda Commissioner, Drew Harris, to keep Donegal as a stand-alone Division.

A Garda spokesperson said: “The Garda Operating Model is being introduced as part of A Policing Service for the Future, which is the implementation plan based on the report of the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland.

“This model is recommended by the both the Commission of the Future of Policing in Ireland and the Garda Inspectorate.

“The restructure reflects international best practice as well as the realities of modern day policing in Ireland, the changing nature of crime and population trends.

“It included restructuring at national, regional and local levels to provide a greater focus on community policed based on local needs.

“The new model introduces major changes to the structures of An Garda Síochána by providing a wider range of policing services for people in their local area.

“It will particularly enhance the investigation of crime through the delivery of a greater range of specialised services in local areas, such as the investigation of sexual crime, domestic violence, cyber-crime, and economic crime.”