Garda Vetting - what is involved?

That might just be a consent form for Garda vetting - did it include a field for your email address. If it is then the agency will forward a request to the Garda vetting agency and you get an email with a vetting number / link to fill in further details online, basically everywhere you have ever lived, whether you ever had another name, whether you have any convictions or have any prosecutions pending.

It then takes a few weeks to be be processed by the Garda vetting agency. That's it as far as I can rember for any positions I went for that required Garda vetting clearance

Haven't heard of that part before.

I've been vetted a number of times for work and sporting involvement and listed addresses in UK and Australia, but never had any questioned or additional requirements needed

Any country you have lived in for more than six months will require a police certificate if it's the same vetting process I've gone through.

It wasn't an issue in my case but there must be a process to allow for countries that don't issue police clearance certificates to individuals.

In Ireland a person can't request vetting, only approved organisations. This can be an issue for someone emigrating to a country that requests a police certificate as a condition of approval. Most have a process for countries that don't issue police certificated to individuals. I would think the Garda vetting would have similar allowances.

It would not be uncommon for people to omit the fact they lived overseas as it can be difficult to get clearance from some countries.

There was also an issue with people using names in Irish to avoid having declarations showing, but that's been addressed.

But tbf the vetting system itself seems fairly robust. From experience many of the issues that do occur are down to how the material was filled out.

Yes, the Gardai are only responsible for vetting in the ROI. It is up to the prospective employer or the regulations that govern the employer to decide whether you need police vetting from other countries. I find that some countries issue them very quickly. I got one from Uganda a few days after I requested an employee get it.

You cannot get a Garda vetting report done on yourself. Garda Vetting Bureau does vetting for relevant organisations registered with it and the only way you can get vetted is if you are going to be working for one of them and engaging in relevant work or activities with children or vulnerable people. You will also be vetted if you are going for a job through the Public Appointments Service or if you're going for licensing through the PSA or something like that.