Antoinette Cunningham General Secretary of AGSI Announces Retirement After 33 Years Service

The Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors (AGSI) today congratulated their General Secretary Antoinette Cunningham who has announced her retirement from An Garda Siochana and AGSI.

Antoinette has been a member of Án Garda Síochána for 33 years. In 2018 she made Irish policing history by becoming its first-full time female official in a Garda representative organisation.

On her way to achieving that career-defining milestone, Antoinette was also the first woman to serve at every executive level of the Association – Branch Secretary, National Executive member, President, Deputy General Secretary and General Secretary.

Antoinette also worked for 10 years as a training Sergeant at the Garda College in Templemore. She holds a BA in Training and Education and a MA in Adult Training and Development from NUI Galway. In 2021 she was honoured with the University of Galway Alumni Award for Law, Public Policy and Government in recognition of her significant contribution in the field of policing.

When asked, Antoinette would say that her proudest achievement occurred in 2019 when after three years of lobbying she was responsible for securing a change in the legislation to allow Gardaí access to the Workplace Relations Commission and the Labour Court.

As President of the AGSI, she led her members to the brink of unprecedented strike action over pay and conditions in late 2016 before the issues were sorted out at talks. 

She also led the organisation through the COVID-19 pandemic saying that although there was “no handbook to police a pandemic, as frontline emergency responders, we stood strong to help protect communities”  and “…we did it with grace and commitment”.

The National Executive of the AGSI paid tribute to their General Secretary saying that today “is a very fitting day for Antoinette to announce her retirement – St. Bridget’s Day is a day to reflect on the achievements of Irish women and Antoinette has achieved so much on behalf of the Association.”