“As a 22 year old member of An Garda Siochana, I was stationed at Store Street Garda station and was a regular on beat duty on O’Connell Street from 1974 to 1980. It was known as the bomb beat and I worked from 8pm to 2am up and down the street. I had a very good relationship with all the characters on the street, newspaper vendors, shop owners and hotel staff. I had a special soft spot for the man on the bridge, Arthur Fields. He would always be very polite to me and would stay close by when I was on the beat. It gave him security from the drunks who would be messing with him and also credibility that he must be legitimate if the Guard lets him take the photos. The night he took this picture he said something to me and I laughed. He gave me the ticket to collect. When I collected it, the photo was on the house.”
(1974)
Submitted by Hugh Coghlan