Cathal Brugha Barracks
Encyclopedia
Cathal Brugha Barracks is an Irish Army
barracks in Rathmines
, Dublin. A key military base of the Irish Defence Forces
, it is the headquarters of the Eastern Command, and houses the Military Archives
of the Department of Defence
.
, died and was buried at sea in its harbour, many places in England
and Ireland
were commemoratively named Portobello - including part of Rathmines in 1696. The nearby canal bridge and the area became known as Portobello
and thereafter, the barracks.)
Originally designed as a cavalry
barracks, it saw some development along these lines, with additional land being purchased, and the addition of a church (1842) and canteen block (1868).
During the 1916 Easter Rising
, and the Irish War of Independence
, British Troops from the barracks were involved in actions throughout Dublin. During this time, three journalists, including the pacifist Francis Sheehy-Skeffington
, were murdered outside the barrack guardroom. The Royal Irish Rifles company commander
Captain
Bowen-Colthurst, who ordered the shootings, was controversially adjudged "insane" at the subsequent inquiry and court-martial
.
On 17 May 1922 Irish troops took possession of the Barracks, and it became the National Army's Headquarters under General Michael Collins
.
In 1952 it was renamed for Cathal Brugha
, who was a leader during the 1916 rising, Minister for Defence
in the First Dáil
, and who lived locally for a time.
, Royal Munster Fusiliers
, Durham Light Infantry
, Middlesex Regiment
, Wiltshire Regiment
, Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers
and Royal Irish Rifles.
Since the end of the Anglo-Irish war
, the barracks has housed units of the Irish Defence Forces
, and has more recently been developed as a result of the force's reorganisation. It became the Eastern Command HQ (again) in 1994, and in 1997 accommodated additional units after the closure of Collins Barracks
.
Cathal Brugha Barracks houses the following units:
Irish Army
The Irish Army, officially named simply the Army is the main branch of the Defence Forces of Ireland. Approximately 8,500 men and women serve in the Irish Army, divided into three infantry Brigades...
barracks in Rathmines
Rathmines
Rathmines is a suburb on the southside of Dublin, about 3 kilometres south of the city centre. It effectively begins at the south side of the Grand Canal and stretches along the Rathmines Road as far as Rathgar to the south, Ranelagh to the east and Harold's Cross to the west.Rathmines has...
, Dublin. A key military base of the Irish Defence Forces
Irish Defence Forces
The armed forces of Ireland, known as the Defence Forces encompass the Army, Naval Service, Air Corps and Reserve Defence Force.The current Supreme Commander of the Irish Defence forces is His Excellency Michael D Higgins in his role as President of Ireland...
, it is the headquarters of the Eastern Command, and houses the Military Archives
Irish Military Archives
The Irish Military Archives is the official depository for the records of the Irish Department of Defence, the Defence Forces, and the Army Pensions Board, as established by the National Archives Act of 1986....
of the Department of Defence
Department of Defence (Ireland)
The Department of Defence is the department of the Government of Ireland that is responsible for preserving peace and security in Ireland and abroad...
.
History and name
The barracks was originally constructed between 1810 and 1815, and named Portobello Barracks for the area in it was sited. (When Sir Francis Drake looted the city of Portobelo, PanamaPortobelo, Panama
Portobelo is a port city in Colón Province, Panama. It is located on the northern part of the Isthmus of Panama and has a deep natural harbor. Today, Portobelo is a sleepy city with a population of fewer than 3,000...
, died and was buried at sea in its harbour, many places in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
were commemoratively named Portobello - including part of Rathmines in 1696. The nearby canal bridge and the area became known as Portobello
Portobello, Dublin
In Dublin, Portobello is an area stretching westwards from South Richmond Street as far as Upper Clanbrassil Street bordered on the north by the South Circular Road and on the south by the Grand Canal....
and thereafter, the barracks.)
Originally designed as a cavalry
Cavalry
Cavalry or horsemen were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback. Cavalry were historically the third oldest and the most mobile of the combat arms...
barracks, it saw some development along these lines, with additional land being purchased, and the addition of a church (1842) and canteen block (1868).
During the 1916 Easter Rising
Easter Rising
The Easter Rising was an insurrection staged in Ireland during Easter Week, 1916. The Rising was mounted by Irish republicans with the aims of ending British rule in Ireland and establishing the Irish Republic at a time when the British Empire was heavily engaged in the First World War...
, and the Irish War of Independence
Irish War of Independence
The Irish War of Independence , Anglo-Irish War, Black and Tan War, or Tan War was a guerrilla war mounted by the Irish Republican Army against the British government and its forces in Ireland. It began in January 1919, following the Irish Republic's declaration of independence. Both sides agreed...
, British Troops from the barracks were involved in actions throughout Dublin. During this time, three journalists, including the pacifist Francis Sheehy-Skeffington
Francis Sheehy-Skeffington
Francis Skeffington from Bailieborough, County Cavan, was an Irish suffragist, pacifist and writer. He was a friend and schoolmate of James Joyce, Oliver St John Gogarty, Tom Kettle, and Conor Cruise O'Brien's father, Frank O'Brien...
, were murdered outside the barrack guardroom. The Royal Irish Rifles company commander
Company Commander
A company commander is the commanding officer of a company, a military unit which typically consists of 100 to 350 soldiers, often organized into three or four smaller units called platoons....
Captain
Captain (British Army and Royal Marines)
Captain is a junior officer rank of the British Army and Royal Marines. It ranks above Lieutenant and below Major and has a NATO ranking code of OF-2. The rank is equivalent to a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy and to a Flight Lieutenant in the Royal Air Force...
Bowen-Colthurst, who ordered the shootings, was controversially adjudged "insane" at the subsequent inquiry and court-martial
Court-martial
A court-martial is a military court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of members of the armed forces subject to military law, and, if the defendant is found guilty, to decide upon punishment.Most militaries maintain a court-martial system to try cases in which a breach of...
.
On 17 May 1922 Irish troops took possession of the Barracks, and it became the National Army's Headquarters under General Michael Collins
Michael Collins (Irish leader)
Michael "Mick" Collins was an Irish revolutionary leader, Minister for Finance and Teachta Dála for Cork South in the First Dáil of 1919, Director of Intelligence for the IRA, and member of the Irish delegation during the Anglo-Irish Treaty negotiations. Subsequently, he was both Chairman of the...
.
In 1952 it was renamed for Cathal Brugha
Cathal Brugha
Cathal Brugha was an Irish revolutionary and politician, active in the Easter Rising, Irish War of Independence, and the Irish Civil War and was the first Ceann Comhairle of Dáil Éireann.-Background:...
, who was a leader during the 1916 rising, Minister for Defence
Minister for Defence (Ireland)
The Minister for Defence is the senior minister at the Department of Defence in the Government of Ireland. Under new arrangements this department is being merged with the Department of Justice over which Mr. Shatter will also preside....
in the First Dáil
First Dáil
The First Dáil was Dáil Éireann as it convened from 1919–1921. In 1919 candidates who had been elected in the Westminster elections of 1918 refused to recognise the Parliament of the United Kingdom and instead assembled as a unicameral, revolutionary parliament called "Dáil Éireann"...
, and who lived locally for a time.
Troops
The first troops to occupy the barracks were the 6th Dragoon Guards, with following units including the: Royal Scots FusiliersRoyal Scots Fusiliers
-The Earl of Mar's Regiment of Foot :The regiment was raised in Scotland in 1678 by Stuart loyalist Charles Erskine, de jure 5th Earl of Mar for service against the rebel covenanting forces during the Second Whig Revolt . They were used to keep the peace and put down brigands, mercenaries, and...
, Royal Munster Fusiliers
Royal Munster Fusiliers
The Royal Munster Fusiliers was a regular infantry regiment of the British Army. One of eight Irish regiments raised largely in Ireland, it had its home depot in Tralee. It was originally formed in 1881 by the amalgamation of two regiments of the former East India Company. It served in India and...
, Durham Light Infantry
Durham Light Infantry
The Durham Light Infantry was an infantry regiment of the British Army from 1881 to 1968. It was formed by the amalgamation of the 68th Regiment of Foot and the 106th Regiment of Foot along with the militia and rifle volunteers of County Durham...
, Middlesex Regiment
Middlesex Regiment
The Middlesex Regiment was a regiment of the British Army. It was formed in 1881 as part of the Childers Reforms when the 57th and 77th Regiments of Foot were amalgamated with the county's militia and rifle volunteer units.On 31 December 1966 The Middlesex Regiment was amalgamated with three...
, Wiltshire Regiment
Wiltshire Regiment
The Wiltshire Regiment was an infantry regiment of the line in the British Army, formed in 1881 by the amalgamation of the 62nd Regiment of Foot and the 99th Duke of Edinburgh's Regiment of Foot....
, Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers
Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers
The Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers was a Irish infantry regiment of the British Army formed in 1881 by the amalgamation of the 27th Regiment of Foot and the 108th Regiment of Foot...
and Royal Irish Rifles.
Since the end of the Anglo-Irish war
Irish War of Independence
The Irish War of Independence , Anglo-Irish War, Black and Tan War, or Tan War was a guerrilla war mounted by the Irish Republican Army against the British government and its forces in Ireland. It began in January 1919, following the Irish Republic's declaration of independence. Both sides agreed...
, the barracks has housed units of the Irish Defence Forces
Irish Defence Forces
The armed forces of Ireland, known as the Defence Forces encompass the Army, Naval Service, Air Corps and Reserve Defence Force.The current Supreme Commander of the Irish Defence forces is His Excellency Michael D Higgins in his role as President of Ireland...
, and has more recently been developed as a result of the force's reorganisation. It became the Eastern Command HQ (again) in 1994, and in 1997 accommodated additional units after the closure of Collins Barracks
Collins Barracks (Dublin)
Collins Barracks is a former military barracks in the Arbour Hill area of Dublin, Ireland. The buildings are now the National Museum of Ireland, Decorative Arts and History...
.
Cathal Brugha Barracks houses the following units:
- 2 Eastern Brigade Headquarters
- 2 Infantry Battalion
- 2 Cavalry Squadron
- 2 Field CIS Company
- 2 Eastern Brigade Military Police Company
- 2 Logistic Support Battalion
- 2 Eastern Brigade Training Centre
- 2 ISTAR Coy, IEEUBG 2012-2
- Army School of Music and No 1 Army Band
- 62 Reserve Infantry Battalion62 Reserve Infantry Battalion (Ireland)The 62 Reserve Infantry Battalion is an Infantry Battalion in the Irish Reserve Defence Forces .-Unit Heritage:The 62 Reserve Infantry battalion was formed from the 20 and the 21 Infantry battalions of the FCÁ after the re-organization of the Irish army reserve in 2005...
- 62 Reserve Cavalry Squadron62 Reserve Cavalry SquadronThe 62 Reserve Cavalry Squadron is an armoured unit in the Irish Reserve Defence Forces . It was formed in 2005 from the former 11 Cavalry Squadron FCÁ, 11 Motor Squadron FCÁ, 11 Cyclist Regiment FCÁ, and 41, 42, 43, 44 Cyclist Squadrons LDF....
- 62 Reserve Field CIS Company
- 62 Reserve Field Military Police Company
- 62 Reserve Logistic Support Battalion (Field Medical Company)
- 2 Air Defence Battery
- Explosives Ordanance Disposal (EOD)
- Eastern Group, Irish Naval ServiceIrish Naval ServiceThe Naval Service is the navy of Ireland and is one of the three standing branches of the Irish Defence Forces. Its main base is in Haulbowline, County Cork....
Reserve (RDF)