Born in the Liberties of Dublin in 1910, Jim Branigan was, by his own admission, a shy, scrawny “sissy” as a lad. Cruelly beaten by bullies in the railway yard where he worked during his teens, he refused to fight back. Yet he went on to become a heavyweight boxing champion and to earn the “undisputed reputation as the country’s toughest and bravest garda”.




Refusing to carry a baton and relying upon his fists instead, he dealt with Dublin’s array of gurriers and criminals, taking on the vicious “animal gangs” of the 1930s and ’40s and quelling the wild “rock-and-roll riots” of the ’50s.




Ironically, for all his fame as a tough, fearless garda, he was most beloved for his humanity and compassion. His role as guardian of the battered women of the tenements and as protector and father figure of the city’s piteous prostitutes—or “pavement hostesses”, as he called them—was unrecorded in the press and hushed up by the Garda brass.




His is a tale of extraordinary courage and compassion, and this untold part of his story is long overdue. Here is a book that presents a revealing and unvarnished portrait of the man and his life, authenticated by the oral testimony of family members, friends and Garda mates who stood with him through the most harrowing and poignant experiences.




“A revealing portrait not just of a passionate and dedicated public figure, but also of a society undergoing great and constant change.”Eamon Delaney, Irish Independent




“A tale of extraordinary courage and compassion.” Ireland’s Own




“One of those people who become a legend in his own time.” Chief Superintendent Edmund Doherty