William Geoffrey Cahill (1854–1931)
Born at Strokestown in 1854, the son of an R.I.C. constable, William Cahill joined the Royal Irish Constabulary as a young man and served in Co. Longford and Belfast before resigning and emigrating to Queensland, Australia, in 1878. Rising through the Queensland public service, he was appointed Commissioner of the Queensland Police in 1905, a post he held until 1916. As Commissioner he introduced reforms modelled on his R.I.C. training — including a Policeman's Manual adapted from the Irish version — and commanded the police during the Brisbane general strike of 1912. He was appointed C.M.G. in December 1912 and died in Brisbane in 1931.
A full biography is published in the Australian Dictionary of Biography.