SOME 106 motorcycle police from around the world are on a week-long tour of Ireland.
The Blue Knights International Law Enforcement Motorcycle Club started their trip in Dublin last Sunday and travelled via Belfast to north Antrim, taking a spin on the way to Ballymoney, home of the late great motorcycle racer, Joey Dunlop.
The international traffic police also paid their respects yesterday at a roadside memorial for Garda John Naughton (48) who was killed while off-duty, when his motorbike was in a collision with a car near Letterkenny, Co Donegal, in July 2006.
The Blue Knights is a motorbike club for active and retired policemen and women with a passion for motorbikes.
It was founded in 1974 in the US, and is the largest motorcycle club in the world with more than 20,000 members in 29 countries.
Its mission is to “promote and advance the sport of motorcycling and the safety of motorcycling” and “develop a fraternal spirit between law enforcement personnel and the general public”.
Blue Knights Ireland has 40 members, who are also members of the Garda Motorcycle Club.
“This is the Blue Knights’ second Irish tour. We had one in 2007 covering the south of the country, and it rained the whole week. This time, at least, we’ve had some great, sunny weather,” said Blue Knights Ireland president, Garda Brendan Condon from Limerick.
Members will today travel via Sligo, Ballina, Lough Conn, Westport, Kylemore and Clifden, finishing in Galway tomorrow.
And is it hard for 106 traffic police to turn a blind eye when they see bad behaviour on our roads?
“We have to resist the temptation to go after them. We’re supposed to be on holiday,” joked Garda Condon.