Castlebar Military Barracks

Last updated

Castlebar Military Barracks
Castlebar, County Mayo
Closure of Castlebar Barracks (7047898245).jpg
Closure ceremony at Castlebar Barracks
Ireland adm location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Castlebar Military Barracks
Location within Ireland
Coordinates 53°51′18″N9°17′46″W / 53.855°N 9.296°W / 53.855; -9.296
TypeBarracks
Site information
Owner Mayo County Council
Operator Flag of Ireland.svg Irish Army
Site history
Built1834
Built for War Office
In use1834-2012
Garrison information
Garrison3rd Battalion, the Connaught Rangers

Castlebar Military Barracks, sometimes referred to as Mitchell Barracks, [1] [2] [3] [4] was a military installation at Rock Square in Castlebar, County Mayo in Ireland. The barracks was closed in 2012 and sold to Mayo County Council with an agreement to lease a portion of the barracks back to the Defence Forces for the use of a reserve unit. [5]

History

The infantry barracks at Castlebar, which were built on the site of an old castle, were completed in 1834. [6] The barracks became the home of the 3rd Battalion, the Connaught Rangers in the late 19th century and it was at Castlebar that the battalion was disbanded in 1901. [7]

A part of barracks was burnt down by the Irish Republican Army in spring 1922. [8] Blocks E/F and J/K/L and the hospital were completely destroyed [9] before the site was secured by the forces of the Irish Free State in summer 1922. [6]

On the night of 28 February 1957 the St. Patricks Boys National School building was burnt down, on 3 April 1957 the school was temporally relocated to blocks G and H of the barracks. A replacement school building was opened on 9 November 1961. [10] [9]

The barracks, which latterly were used as a training camp by the Reserve Defence Forces, closed in March 2012 and the site has since been acquired by Mayo County Council. [11]

On 29 January 2016 when workers were probing the ceiling of block A they discovered a human skull. [12]

Although the barracks has sometimes been referred to as "Mitchell Barracks", [5] local media simply refers to it as "Castlebar Military Barracks". [1] [2] [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Castlebar</span> Town in County Mayo, Ireland

Castlebar is the county town of County Mayo, Ireland. Developing around a 13th-century castle of the de Barry family, from which the town got its name, the town now acts as a social and economic focal point for the surrounding hinterland. With a population of 13,054 in the 2022 census, Castlebar was one of the fastest growing towns in Ireland in the early 21st century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment</span> Infantry regiment of the British Army

The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment (PWRR), also known as the Tigers, is the senior English line infantry regiment of the British Army, second in the line infantry order of precedence to the Royal Regiment of Scotland and part of the Queen's Division.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Connaught Rangers</span> Military unit

The Connaught Rangers was an Irish line infantry regiment of the British Army formed by the amalgamation of the 88th Regiment of Foot and the 94th Regiment of Foot in July 1881. Between the time of its formation and Irish independence, it was one of eight Irish regiments raised largely in Ireland. Its home depot was in Galway. It was disbanded following the establishment of the independent Irish Free State in 1922, along with the other five regiments that had their traditional recruiting grounds in the counties of the new state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Irish Regiment (1992)</span> Infantry regiment of the British Army

The Royal Irish Regiment is a light infantry regiment of the British Army. The regiment was founded in 1992 through the amalgamation of the Royal Irish Rangers and the Ulster Defence Regiment. Their oldest predecessor, the 27th Regiment of Foot, was first raised in June 1689 to fight in the Williamite War in Ireland. Other notable regiments in their lineage include the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, Royal Irish Rifles and the Royal Irish Fusiliers.

The Royal Irish Rangers was a regular light infantry regiment of the British Army with a relatively short existence, formed in 1968 and later merged with the Ulster Defence Regiment in 1992 to form the Royal Irish Regiment.

The Rifles is an infantry regiment of the British Army. Formed in 2007, it consists of four Regular battalions and three Reserve battalions. Each Regular battalion was formerly an individual battalion of one of the two large regiments of the Light Division. Since formation, the regiment has been involved in the later stages of the Iraq War and in the War in Afghanistan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Ulster Rifles</span> British Army infantry regiment

The Royal Irish Rifles was an infantry rifle regiment of the British Army, first created in 1881 by the amalgamation of the 83rd Regiment of Foot and the 86th Regiment of Foot. The regiment saw service in the Second Boer War, the First World War, the Second World War, and the Korean War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Castlebar</span> 1798 engagement of the Irish Rebellion of 1798

The Battle of Castlebar was a military engagement of the Irish Rebellion of 1798 which occurred on 27 August 1798 near the town of Castlebar, County Mayo. A combined force of 2,000 French Revolutionary Army troops and United Irishmen rebels routed a British Crown force of 6,000 men mainly consisting of Irish militiamen led by Gerard Lake, 1st Viscount Lake in what would later become known as the "Castlebar Races" or "Races of Castlebar".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Redford Barracks</span> Barracks in Edinburgh, Scotland, UK

Redford Cavalry and Infantry Barracks is a military installation located on Colinton Road, near the Edinburgh City Bypass, east of the suburb of Colinton in Edinburgh, Scotland. The barracks are set to close in 2029.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dermot Earley Snr</span>

Lieutenant-General Dermot Earley DSM was a high-ranking military official in Ireland and with the United Nations. He was the Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces from 2007 to 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kilmovee</span> Village in Connacht, Ireland

Kilmovee is a village and civil parish in County Mayo, Ireland. It is a mainly rural parish on the R325 road, midway between Kilkelly and Ballaghaderreen.

Michael Feeney, MBE, is the founder of the County Mayo Peace Park and Garden of Remembrance. An Irish citizen he was awarded the MBE due to his services in promoting British-Irish relations by Queen Elizabeth II at a ceremony at Buckingham Palace in the Queen's New Year Honours List in 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Renmore Barracks</span> Military installation in Galway, Ireland

Renmore Barracks is a military installation in Renmore, a suburb of Galway, Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ballymullen Barracks</span> Military installation in Tralee, Ireland

Ballymullen Barracks is an Irish military installation at Tralee, County Kerry in Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Structure of the British Army</span> Organisation of the British Army

The page contains the current structure of the British Army. The British Army is currently being reorganised to the Future Soldier structure.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lisa Chambers</span> Irish politician (born 1986)

Lisa Chambers is an Irish Fianna Fáil politician and barrister who has served as a senator in Seanad Éireann since 2020 and as leader of the Seanad since December 2022. She previously served on Mayo County Council from 2014 to 2016 and as a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Mayo constituency from 2016 to 2020. She contested the 2024 European Parliament election as one of three Fianna Fáil candidates in the Midlands–North-West constituency, but did not win a seat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Irish Republic (1798)</span> Short-lived state in Ireland

The Irish Republic of 1798, more commonly known as the Republic of Connacht, was a short-lived state proclaimed during the Irish Rebellion of 1798 that resulted from the French Revolutionary Wars. A sister republic of the French Republic, it theoretically covered the whole island of Ireland, but its functional control was limited to only very small parts of the Province of Connacht. Opposing British forces were deployed across most of the country including the main towns such as Dublin, Belfast and Cork.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Army Special Operations Brigade</span> British Army special operations formation

The Army Special Operations Brigade, previously called the Specialised Infantry Group, is a formation of the British Army, initially created as a result of the Army 2020 Refine reorganisation, intended to train foreign forces. Its name and role was adapted after the Defence in a Competitive Age reforms, to a unit that not only trains partner nations, but also fights alongside them in "complex high-threat environments".

This article represents the structure of the Irish Defence Forces as of May 2020:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ranger Regiment (United Kingdom)</span> Special Operations unit of the British Army

The Ranger Regiment is a special operations-capable unit of the British Army which was formed on 1 December 2021 under the Future Soldier reform and is part of the Army Special Operations Brigade previously called the Specialised Infantry Group. It is intended to be used primarily in an unconventional warfare and foreign internal defence capacity in a similar manner to the US Green Berets.

References

  1. 1 2 "Funding sought for Mayo military barracks masterplan". Connaught Telegraph .
  2. 1 2 "Funding announced for Castlebar Military Barracks master-plan". Mayo News. Archived from the original on 4 December 2017.
  3. 1 2 "Castlebar Military Barracks opening to the public for Cruinniu tomorrow". Mid West Radio .
  4. "Just 44 women joined Defence Forces last year despite new recruitment efforts". Irish Times .
  5. 1 2 "Alan Shatter Minister, Department of Justice, Equality and Defence - Dail Debate". Kildarestreet.com. 21 June 2012. Retrieved 27 March 2021.
  6. 1 2 "Historical tour of Castlebar". Mayo, Ireland. Retrieved 8 December 2015.
  7. "3rd Battalion the Connaught Rangers". Hansard. 11 June 1901. Retrieved 8 December 2015.
  8. "Castlebar Infantry Barracks, GORTEENDRUNAGH, Castlebar, MAYO". National Inventory of Architectural Heritage . Retrieved 27 March 2021.
  9. 1 2 "Memories of the military barracks in Castlebar". Connaught Telegraph . 20 March 2021. Retrieved 27 March 2021.
  10. "History of Our School". St Patricks Boys National School. Archived from the original on 29 September 2020. Retrieved 27 March 2021.
  11. "Barracks closures will see 500 redeployed". Irish Times. 17 November 2011. Retrieved 8 December 2015.
  12. "Skull found at old military barracks". Connaught Telegraph . 29 January 2016. Retrieved 27 March 2021.