In this timely history of the Garda Síochána, Conor Brady explores some of the biggest challenges the force has faced since 1960. Beginning with one of their greatest tests, maintaining the security of the Irish State during the Northern crisis, he goes on to chronicle the emergence of guns in Irish criminal life and the rapid expansion of the domestic drug trade. Acknowledged as one of the successes of the independent Irish State, the Garda Síochána has not been without its flaws and its failings, and the author does not shy away from exploring these. The Guarding of Ireland comprehensively covers the recent crisis surrounding the alleged bugging of the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (GSOC), privacy concerns in relation to the recording of Garda phone calls, and the penalty points/whistle-blower controversy that led to the resignation of Garda Commissioner Martin Callinan and Justice Minister Alan Shatter. It is a story marked by success and failure, by attempted reform and resistance to change, by outstanding individual performance and deplorable lapses in discipline. More than an account of policing and politics, this is the story of the Republic's troubled coming of age.