The Royal Irish Constabulary Auxiliary Force, 1881-3

A short history and complete alphabetical list of the “Magpies”

Jim Herlihy

“One man has long laboured to preserve for future generations the unique role this small island has played in the development of policing as a distinct profession. … Jim Herlihy … has once more drawn from the deep well of his knowledge and dished up another treasure that will delight historians, researchers and genealogists everywhere with the recently published The Royal Irish Constabulary Auxiliary Force, 1881-3. … It is hard to overstate the importance of Jim Herlihy’s work. For some his book is simply another work on an obscure subject. But it isn’t. An Garda Síochána is most of the way through its third great generational change since its foundation in 1922 and this most existential of organisations now has a very young workforce. As it navigates its future it is an organisation that does not have a good record of valuing or recording its past. Every Garda has 200 years plus of continuous policing traditions behind them. Every generation of police officer deserves a Jim Herlihy to keep their names alive. We look forward to his next book.” Tom Daly, the Garda Review, October 2026.