Village warden hangs up hat after 25 years
By Aideen O'Flaherty
A FAMILIAR face in Tallaght village, who has been at the forefront in preventing illegal parking in the area, hung up her brown cap for the last time on Friday and is looking forward to her retirement after 25 years of reporting to the Department of Justice as a traffic warden in Tallaght village.
Sheila Byrne’s first day on the job in 1992 was reported by The Echo, where her role was described as being “Tallaght’s latest bid to reduce traffic congestion” in the area, and since then she has seen an increase in the number of motorists in the area and the changing landscape of the village.
Sheila Byrne retires from the job after 25 years
Talking about her first day as a traffic warden, Sheila said: “It was all new for me, being out in Tallaght village in a uniform.
“I always tried my best to keep the place running and to keep the traffic going.”
Sheila has witnessed the changing landscape of the village over the years, explaining that the biggest changes that she has seen since her first day are “all the new buildings, businesses and roads, and there are a lot more cars. The courthouse wasn’t there when I started.”
Sheila’s work comes under the jurisdiction of the Department of Justice and she reports to the Garda traffic sergeant in Tallaght Garda Station, and she added that over the years she has only given tickets as a last resort, and that her biggest gripe was people parking illegally in disabled parking bays.
I’ll miss everyone
“In one way I’m glad that I’ll be retiring,” Sheila told The Echo, “but I’ll miss everyone.
“It’ll be a change not going out every day, and I’ll miss all the people in Tallaght – people have been generally lovely to me.”
Sheila Byrne on her first day on the job in 1992
Sheila is looking forward to spending more time with her family, in particular her six grandchildren, and going on walks and getting involved in activities during her retirement.
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