Courts / Donegal / Report

Ex-garda seeks allowance for services to Irish-language communities

Date
2026-07-23

Stage
Hearing Or Decision

Primary locality
Donegal

County
Donegal

Summary

A retired Irish‑speaking Garda sergeant from Donegal, Paul Wallace, has been granted permission by the High Court to challenge the Garda Commissioner's refusal to reinstate his Ghaeltacht allowance, which he claims costs him €249.38 a month in pension payments. Wallace, who served as a Garda from 1985 and was promoted to sergeant in 1993, was allocated to several stations in Gaeltacht areas, including Glencolmcille and Bun Beag, and later to Letterkenny. He received the allowance for four years from 2003 and applied for its restoration in 2007, but was refused because Letterkenny was not designated as a Gaeltacht area at that time. He argues the Commissioner erred in law by failing to consider all relevant factors and by treating Letterkenny unfairly. The case, his second this year, was adjourned to November by Justice Mary Rose Gearty after a judicial review was granted by Paul McGarry SC.