IT WAS inevitable that Damian Hogan would become a garda. His late father was a superintendent and his grandfather was one of the first people to join the force. He also has two uncles and two cousins who are policemen. As they say in Irish, "briseann an duchas tri shuile an chait".

"Having daily contact with a policeman would put you thinking about it... you know a little bit of the background," says Hogan who is delighted that he has followed in his father's footsteps. "I love the whole job. It was a good decision." His father, who lived to see him begin his training at Templemore in 1984, told him in a letter before he died that it was a good life.

Hogan is currently working in the Garda Press Office after spending 10 years stationed at Ballymun Garda Station in Dublin. Now - in contrast with his time on the beat - he does not have to wear a uniform. He sits at a desk and he spends most of his time on the phone. His interpersonal skills are being honed. His interest in communicating with people has been given a chance to come to the fore.

He moved to the press office be cause, he explains, he wanted to see how the Garda operated as an organisation and also because he was always interested in public relations.

"We deal with the media, the public and our own people, we get the correct information in relation to crimes." The press office also organises lectures, seminars and career guidance talks.

Hogan believes that a good policeman has to be "a very solid person," an even-minded person who doesn't get hot and bothered in a situation. "To a certain extent you have to be very easy going because you can be in situations where you have to do a bit of roaring and shouting," he says. "Sometimes it's frustrating, not necessarily because of our own organisation but dealing with the whole system and trying to get things done can be frustrating. There's an awful lot of bureaucracy and red tape to be got through. But you can overcome that with a little bit of patience."

He also says that a garda has to be sensible, diplomatic and even-tempered when dealing with members of the public. In conclusion, he points out that "being able to communicate would, to me, stand above all the rest."

Fear is a constant element in a garda's work, also. "You don't know what you are going to meet. You'd be wired up wondering what you are going to meet. I have been nervous on numerous occasions... The adrenalin rush is phenomenal."

Working on the streets of Dublin "can bother you sometimes," he says, especially "when you see how solid your own life can be and you compare it to the lives of the people you are dealing with."

When on duty a garda may have to handle any kind of disturbance - a row outside a pub, a family row, a burglary, a stolen car, a fire, a car accident.

Hogan drove a motorbike for six of the 10 year he spent in Ballymun. One of the saddest memories he has was his first job, when he was sent to a flat where a girl was dying after a suicide attempt. He remembers his colleague whispering an Act of Contrition into her ear. He says he still thinks about that young girl from time to time.

After completing his Leaving Cert at Belcamp College in Dublin, Hogan wanted to go out and work and perhaps get into the music industry. "I had not any real idea about what I wanted to do."

He was managing a music shop on O'Connell Street when he decided to apply to the Garda Siochana. Having to deal with shoplifters in the shop, he had got "to know some of the lads from Store Street. I decided after talking to them and seeing their lifestyle to apply." He was working in Aer Lingus as a loader two years later when his application was accepted.

"When you go into Templemore as a student, as a trainee garda, the whole environment gears you towards having respect and a bit of discipline. . . It's got to make them stronger when they come out."