Garda/ES uniforms and religious symbols

cuckoo

Apologies if this has been asked before - had a flick through a good few pages of threads and didn't come across it.

What's the current story with religious symbols worn on display when in uniform? Garda and other ES?

I'm curious because I recently saw a guard out and about, wearing what looked to me like a st bridget's cross pinned to their vest, just beside where they had put their tie clip.

Is it a garda symbol for something? Or, was this an individual choice by this particular guard?

DubMedic

I wouldn't know of any Garda in my dealings with them to be wearing any sort of religious symbol, heck even any good jewelery for that matter, it can get wrecked/lost.

It might just have been something a kid gave him/her or something and he/she hadn't been back to the station yet to leave it there.

I'm not in a position however to speculate on the case in question. However, I believe when a person approaches a Gard he/she should be in the confidence that they will not be judged based on what the Garda's religious beliefs happen to be, this is not a dig at the Gards, whom I find to be more than fair in my dealings with them.

Remember the debate about two years ago with regards to what IIRC was a Sikh joining the Garda reserve or something?.

There is a policy of some sort on providing an impartial police service afaik. That's why , imo , religious symbols are not allowed.
However, that said, I find a sense of safety in certain religious symbols when I wear them , and may from time to time wear them under my uniform &/ hidden from view, in my pockets.
I would not put it on show though, it's there for my own personal religious beliefs, not to be in the public's eyes, like a uniform.

.

source

from what i remember after that whole kerfuffle with the Sheik in the Garda Reserve who wanted to wear a turban, AGS don't care what religious items you wear so long as it remains under the uniform and not visible to the general public.

http://www.garda.ie/Controller.aspx?Page=3155&Lang=1

cuckoo

DubMedic wrote: »

There is a policy of some sort on providing an impartial police service afaik. That's why , imo , religious symbols are not allowed.
However, that said, I find a sense of safety in certain religious symbols when I wear them , and may from time to time wear them under my uniform &/ hidden from view, in my pockets.
I would not put it on show though, it's there for my own personal religious beliefs, not to be in the public's eyes, like a uniform.

.

I'd agree with the above, which is why i was surprised to see the badge on the guard's stab vest.

The uniforms worn by guards and ES people are uniform for a reason - it would look odd to see the fire brigade wearing football team scarves as they went about their work in uniform - I know that everyone under the uniform is a person, but i don't want to know stuff about them such as religion or whether they support Man Utd or not - it's too much personal detail, if you know what i mean?

DubMedic

cuckoo wrote: »

I'd agree with the above, which is why i was surprised to see the badge on the guard's stab vest.

The uniforms worn by guards and ES people are uniform for a reason - it would look odd to see the fire brigade wearing football team scarves as they went about their work in uniform - I know that everyone under the uniform is a person, but i don't want to know stuff about them such as religion or whether they support Man Utd or not - it's too much personal detail, if you know what i mean?

Yes I understand what you're saying. It's quite difficult to explain too I might add.

.

Hooch

So do I have to take off the rosary beads from around my neck!!!:pac::D:p

DubMedic

nice guy always wrote: »

So do I have to take off the rosary beads from around my neck!!!:pac::D:p

Naturally, I pay your wages with my tax, so yes you do.

.

Hooch

DubMedic wrote: »

Naturally, I pay your wages with my tax, so yes you do.

.

Naturally....and since I pay your wages with my taxes.....you better take off yours:p:pac:

DubMedic

nice guy always wrote: »

Naturally....and since I pay your wages with my taxes.....you better take off yours:p:pac:

I have an excuse, it's a new style of tourniquet, on trial in the east.

It has magical healing powers apparently.

.

Trojan911

wrote:

Last year there was the debate over whether a Sikh member of the Garda reserve should be
allowed wear his turban after a decision by the Garda authorities that he could not do so while
on duty. The gardai rejected claims that its decision to ban the turban from its official uniform
was religiously or racially motivated.
Then Garda Commissioner Noel Conroy said the decision to adopt a uniform dress code aimed
at retaining an "image of impartiality" while providing a service to all citizens. He said the Garda
sought the advice of UK police forces and met representatives of the approximately 1,000-
strong Sikh community in Ireland before deciding that Sikh gardaí in Ireland would not wear a
turban.
The issue forced the Garda to say it would review the wearing of ashes on the forehead on Ash
Wednesday, of crucifixes and of pioneer pins with the official uniform. "All religious items are
being reviewed," a spokesman said at the time. He also indicated that the decision to ban the
turban may be liable to change in the future.
The then Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern supported the Garda's decision, insisting
that foreign nationals who arrived in Ireland needed to "assimilate" into Irish culture and
society. And there the matter has rested since.

Source

Wasn't there a kerfuffle recently obout a nurse with some religous symbol displayed while she worked. Can't find it....

Scramble

A while back there was a kind of anti-racism pin designed by John Rocha. It kind of looked like a small wavy crucifix with an extra horizontal bit. They were were given out fairly widely and I still see a fair number of Gardai wearing them on their tie.

My first thought is that it might have been one of these that the OP saw, could be wrong.

Esel

A '666' badge would do it for me. It's the start all DMP station phone numbers, after all.

cuckoo

Scramble wrote: »

A while back there was a kind of anti-racism pin designed by John Rocha. It kind of looked like a small wavy crucifix with an extra horizontal bit. They were were given out fairly widely and I still see a fair number of Gardai wearing them on their tie.

My first thought is that it might have been one of these that the OP saw, could be wrong.

Nope, wasn't one of those.

The reason i recognised the St Bridget's cross is that I used to have one as a pin on my bridgin (sp?) (like catholic brownies) uniform and used to polish it every week before meetings!

goldie fish

foinse wrote: »

from what i remember after that whole kerfuffle with the Sheik in the Garda Reserve who wanted to wear a turban, AGS don't care what religious items you wear so long as it remains under the uniform and not visible to the general public.

http://www.garda.ie/Controller.aspx?Page=3155&Lang=1

SIKH.
Not Sheik.

HUGE difference.:mad:

the locust

Scramble wrote: »

A while back there was a kind of anti-racism pin designed by John Rocha. It kind of looked like a small wavy crucifix with an extra horizontal bit. They were were given out fairly widely and I still see a fair number of Gardai wearing them on their tie.

My first thought is that it might have been one of these that the OP saw, could be wrong.

I remember we were given a box of tie pins similar to that it was small silver like a cross but i think it had at least four wavy cross bars with one longer one down the middle, we were told they were 'diversity pins' they were suppose to symbolise 5 continents all together or some crap... i dunno? But the cigs were all encouraging us to wear them in public...

I was wondering if traffic corps lads would consider their bike tiepins a religious symbolism / belief?!

the locust

the locust wrote: »

I remember we were given a box of tie pins similar to that it was small silver like a cross but i think it had at least four wavy cross bars with one longer one down the middle, we were told they were 'diversity pins' they were suppose to symbolise 5 continents all together or some crap... i dunno? But the cigs were all encouraging us to wear them in public...

I got one off a motorist at a checkpoint one night. Wear it all the time. Was told it was an anti racism thing.

Finnbar01

I don't understand why people need to show the whole world that they are not racist or they're all for diversity by wearing pins or wrist bands.

All well if it's your thing, so be it then.