Palace Barracks, Holywood is a
British Army
The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurkha ...
installation in
Holywood,
County Down
County Down () is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. It covers an area of and has a population of 531,665. It borders County Antrim to th ...
,
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label=Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is #Descriptions, variously described as ...
.
History
Palace Barracks occupies the site of a palatial house known as "Ardtullagh", the home of the
Bishop of Down, Connor and Dromore until it was bought by the UK
War Office
The War Office was a department of the British Government responsible for the administration of the British Army between 1857 and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the new Ministry of Defence (MoD). This article contains text from ...
in 1886.
In 1933, six children of Lance Corporal Harry Poole and his wife, Mary, lost their lives from
asphyxia
Asphyxia or asphyxiation is a condition of deficient supply of oxygen to the body which arises from abnormal breathing. Asphyxia causes generalized hypoxia, which affects primarily the tissues and organs. There are many circumstances that can ...
tion following gas poisoning in the married quarters of the barracks.
During the roughly three decades of "
The Troubles
The Troubles ( ga, Na Trioblóidí) were an ethno-nationalist conflict in Northern Ireland that lasted about 30 years from the late 1960s to 1998. Also known internationally as the Northern Ireland conflict, it is sometimes described as an "i ...
" in Northern Ireland, the barracks served as the home base for battalions rotating through the province, especially those on a two-year "accompanied" tour with their families. A wide variety of facilities are available for soldiers to use off duty, including a swimming pool, squash courts, saunas, bars and a gymnasium.
Palace Barracks became the Regimental Headquarters of the
Royal Irish Regiment in 2008.
In March 2010, it was the site of a bombing. An elderly man was blown off his feet and had to be treated in hospital. The bomb was allegedly driven towards the base in a hijacked taxi. The
Real IRA claimed responsibility for the attack.
In 2014, it became the base for the
Royal Scots Borderers
The Royal Scots Borderers, 1st Battalion, the Royal Regiment of Scotland (1 SCOTS) was an infantry battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland. The battalion formed on 1 August 2006 when its antecedent regiments - the Royal Scots and the King's ...
, 1st Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland.
Current units
Current units stationed at the camp include:
British Army
*1st Battalion,
Ranger Regiment
*Regimental Headquarters,
152 (North Irish) Regiment,
Royal Logistic Corps
**227 (Belfast) Headquarters Squadron
**220 (Belfast) Tanker Squadron
**400 Petroleum Operator Squadron
*Regimental Headquarters,
Royal Irish Regiment
Royal Navy
*Belfast Detachment,
Royal Marines Reserve Scotland
Security Service
*Northern Ireland Headquarters
Palace Barracks is the declared headquarters of the MI5 for their investigations into Northern Ireland-related terrorism.
References
{{reflist
1886 establishments in Ireland
2010 in Northern Ireland
Car and truck bombings in Northern Ireland
Terrorism in Northern Ireland
Military of Northern Ireland
Barracks in Northern Ireland
Military history of County Down
Royal Irish Regiment (1992)
Installations of the British Army
Terrorist incidents in the United Kingdom in 2010
2010s crimes in Northern Ireland
2010 crimes in Ireland