Collins Barracks () is a military barracks on the Old Youghal Road on the north side of Cork in

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

. Originally serving as a British military barracks from the early 19th century, it was handed-over to the Irish military following the Irish War of Independence, and remains the headquarters of the 1st Brigade of the

Irish Army The Irish Army () is the land component of the Defence Forces (Ireland), Defence Forces of Republic of Ireland, Ireland.The Defence Forces are made up of the Permanent Defence Forces – the standing branches – and the Reserve Defence Forces. ...

. A museum in the barracks is open to the public at selected times.

History

Formation

Originally erected between 1801 and 1806, the barracks' works were completed by

Abraham Hargrave Abraham Addison Hargrave (1755–1808), sometimes referred to as Abraham Hargrave the Elder was an architect and building contractor who was active mainly in County Cork, Ireland, in the late 18th and early 19th century. Born near Leeds, England, ...

to designs by John Gibson. Located in a prominent position on the hills overlooking Cork city and the

River Lee The River Lee () is a river in Ireland. It rises in the Shehy Mountains on the western border of County Cork and flows eastwards through Cork, where it splits in two for a short distance, creating an island on which Cork's city centre is b ...

, the complex was initially known simply as ''The Barracks''. It was extended in 1849 and renamed to ''Victoria Barracks'', to celebrate a visit by

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

Independence

In the period following the

Easter Rising The Easter Rising (), also known as the Easter Rebellion, was an armed insurrection in Ireland during Easter Week in April 1916. The Rising was launched by Irish republicans against British rule in Ireland with the aim of establishing an ind ...

(1916), the

Irish nationalist Irish nationalism is a nationalist political movement which, in its broadest sense, asserts that the people of Ireland should govern Ireland as a sovereign state. Since the mid-19th century, Irish nationalism has largely taken the form of cult ...

Thomas Kent Thomas Kent (; 29 August 1865 – 9 May 1916) was an Irish nationalist who was court-martialled and executed following a gunfight with the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) on 9 May 1916, in the immediate aftermath of the Easter Rising. Easter R ...

was executed by firing squad at the barracks. He was the only person outside Dublin, apart from

Roger Casement Roger David Casement (; 1 September 1864 – 3 August 1916), known as Sir Roger Casement, CMG, between 1911 and 1916, was a diplomat and Irish nationalist executed by the United Kingdom for treason during World War I. He worked for the Britis ...

, to be executed for participation following the Rising. During the Irish War of Independence (1919-1921),

Auxiliary forces The General Inspectorate of Auxiliary Forces (; ; ) is a security and military institution in Morocco, under the supervision of the Ministry of Interior. It has an important role in ensuring security throughout the territory of the Kingdom. Add ...

based at the barracks were implicated in events surrounding the

Burning of Cork The burning of Cork () by British forces took place during the Irish War of Independence on the night of 11–12 December 1920. It followed an Irish Republican Army (IRA) ambush of a British Auxiliary patrol in the city, which wounded twelve Au ...

. British forces from the barracks were also involved in the executions of several Republican prisoners. On 1 February 1921 Cornelius Murphy was executed and then on 28 April 1921, four Volunteers, Maurice Moore, Thomas Mulcahy, Patrick O'Sullivan and Patrick Ronayne, were executed by firing squad at the barracks, followed by the execution of Patrick Casey a few days later, and of Daniel O'Brien on 16 May 1921. Following the War of Independence, under the terms of the

Anglo-Irish Treaty The 1921 Anglo-Irish Treaty (), commonly known in Ireland as The Treaty and officially the Articles of Agreement for a Treaty Between Great Britain and Ireland, was an agreement between the government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain an ...

, and after housing British forces in the city for more than one hundred years, the barracks complex was handed over to Commandant Sean Murray of the army of the

Irish Free State The Irish Free State (6 December 192229 December 1937), also known by its Irish-language, Irish name ( , ), was a State (polity), state established in December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty of December 1921. The treaty ended the three-ye ...

in 1922. Key buildings within the barracks were substantially damaged by retreating Anti-Treaty forces during the

Irish Civil War The Irish Civil War (; 28 June 1922 – 24 May 1923) was a conflict that followed the Irish War of Independence and accompanied the establishment of the Irish Free State, an entity independent from the United Kingdom but within the British Emp ...

. After this conflict, the barracks was renamed for

Michael Collins Michael Collins or Mike Collins most commonly refers to: * Michael Collins (Irish leader) (1890–1922), Irish revolutionary leader, soldier, and politician * Michael Collins (astronaut) (1930–2021), American astronaut, member of Apollo 11 and Ge ...

, the first commander-in-chief of the Free State, and a native of

County Cork County Cork () is the largest and the southernmost Counties of Ireland, county of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, named after the city of Cork (city), Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster ...

Late 20th century

A garrison for the ''Southern Command'' of the

since the 1920s, the complex was visited by

US President The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed For ...

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), also known as JFK, was the 35th president of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. He was the first Roman Catholic and youngest person elected p ...

in 1963. The barracks now houses the headquarters of

1 Southern Brigade The 1st Brigade (1 BDE) () is a brigade of the Irish Army. The brigade, which was known as 1st (Southern) Brigade until the 2012 reorganisation of the army, has its headquarters in Collins Barracks in Cork. The 1st Brigade is responsible for mi ...

, with permanent and

reserve Reserve or reserves may refer to: Places * Reserve, Kansas, a US city * Reserve, Louisiana, a census-designated place in St. John the Baptist Parish * Reserve, Montana, a census-designated place in Sheridan County * Reserve, New Mexico, a US v ...

elements of several army corps, including artillery, cavalry, communications, engineering and logistics units. From 2003 the barracks was subject to a modernisation programme, with the building of new messing facilities, a gymnasium and other works.

History

Formation

Independence

Late 20th century

See also

References

Further reading