He was born in Aughleam, Erris, County Mayo.
He joined the Garda Síochána in 1963 and has had a distinguished career, serving at senior level in demanding sectors in the Gardaí.
Most of his career was in the detective branch and he was part of T squad in the 1980s in Dublin, when organised crime gangs of the day were targeted.
As Commissioner he was deeply involved with the Peace Process.
You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.This law enforcement biography article is a stub.