Elaine Horan hails from a dairy and forestry farm in Ballintubber, Co Mayo. The accountant-turned-Garda has hiked, worked and observed the seasonal changes from mountains, farmlands and cities, worldwide. This week (20-24 May) Elaine and a team of almost 40 gardaí are taking on the International Police Association (IPA) 2019 Hi 5 Peak Challenge in aid of AWARE, Mountain Rescue Ireland and the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI).

“I am the youngest of a family of four. My dad is from Mayo. He went to New Zealand on a scheme on behalf of the New Zealand government in the early 1960s to farm for two years. There he met mum, a New Zealand lady. Mum was a policewoman and came from a long line of police. They got married and the four of us were born in New Zealand. It was 17 years before they came back to the homestead in Ballintubber.

I studied business studies. The day after I finished my diploma, I went straight into the garda training college

“Obviously, after coming home from New Zealand to Mayo, it was a whole new kettle of fish. We had a small dairy holding and forestry. We all helped on the farm, but forestry was my biggest passion, rather than dairy. It was what I spent the most time at with dad. He started up the forestry himself after returning from New Zealand, to utilise the ground that wasn’t fit for dairying.

“All four of us went to college. I studied business studies. The day after I finished my diploma, I went straight into the garda training college. I knew that a confined office environment was not for me after coming from the land, where you are out every evening doing the jobs, watching the seasons go by. When I look back now I know I made the right decision.

“We were always aware of the change of season, with dad watching out for the first swallow and the first flower of spring. So, I went from living in the middle of Mayo to Dublin city centre where I lived in a flat. It nearly broke my heart. The normal routine from home; where cows were milked twice a day, Monday to Sunday, was gone. My only saving grace was the Phoenix Park. I was based in the Bridewell in the community policing section. My role was about trying to get to know the local people. I worked in the schools and brought the local kids up to the park at every opportunity, to introduce them to nature, football and freedom. That is when I realised how lucky I had been.

Ten years ago I moved down to the midlands, to Portarlington

“Once, I had the opportunity to work in headquarters in the Phoenix Park. A female inspector at the time said to me, ‘I don’t think you will manage it, Elaine. The only way you will know what season it is will be by looking at that cherry tree out your window’. I didn’t take that offer. Sometime later I was promoted out of the city centre to Howth, where there were lots of hills to climb. It is a rural community with a small town centre. Unfortunately, through dealing with a number of tragedies, this is where I came into contact and learned to respect the RNLI and Mountain Rescue.

“Ten years ago I moved down to the midlands, to Portarlington. It is a town, but it is in the heart of a rural and farming community. With mum a police officer and dad a farmer, this is where my real loyalties are, the ageing population of rural Ireland, who need reassurance and a garda presence. It is good to be able to talk about the weather, grass growth and empathise with them. About 20% of our calls are farm related, whether it is to do with crime or accidents. After that, I worked for An Garda Síochana in the UN out in Cyprus. My role was liaising with the farmers to help them return to work their land, in the buffer zone. I have always kept close ties with the farming community. I currently work as a sergeant in Abbeyleix in the heart of farming country.

The theft of any machinery is absolutely devastating to a farmer

“Unfortunately, over the years there has been an increase in crime in rural Ireland. The access that criminals have to these areas, from the motorways, allows them to carry out a number of crimes and get away very quickly. Rural communities have started working together to prevent this, with community-based CCTV schemes, text alert and community alert.

“The theft of any machinery is absolutely devastating to a farmer and so in the last few years, we are seeing an increase in security awareness in rural Ireland, which is great.

“Like farmers, gardaí are not Monday-to-Friday people, so hiking became a pastime that we could do anywhere in the country, any day of the week. The IPA club is a worldwide organisation. As part of the Irish IPA branch, we have a hiking club.

“In 2014 a group of Irish gardaí hiked the four highest peaks in Ireland to raise awareness and money for AWARE, after a colleague benefited from their services. It was a great success and has continued from there, with 26 IPA hiking club members reaching Everest Base Camp last year, for charities of their choice. This week, 36 members of the hiking club are taking on the IPA Garda Hi 5 Challenge 2019, where we will hike the five highest peaks in Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales, in five days.

“Everyone pays their own way and all funds raised go towards our three chosen charities: AWARE, Mountain Rescue Ireland and RNLI, with a target to raise €10,000 for each charity.”